What are GABA receptors?

Gamma aminobutyric acid receptors are protein structures in cell membranes that receive chemical signals from GABA. When a receptor binds to a GABA molecule, it acts to inhibit neural activity. Researchers believe that this inhibition controls fear and anxiety reactions from overexcited neurons.

There are two types of GABA receptors, type A and type B. These two types receive and react to GABA in different manners. It is estimated that 40 percent of synapses, the connections between neurons, contain GABA receptors of one type or the other. This makes GABA receptors the most common type of receptors in mammalian nervous systems.