Stimulating GABAA-α1 Receptors Decreases Sociability

Science Center, Bent Corridor

The neurological disorders autism and schizophrenia have touched the lives of most people in the United States. These diseases are characterized by dysfunction of the GABA neurotransmitter system and are characterized by changes in social behavior. Previous research from the Paine lab has found that blocking GABAA receptors either systemically or within the prefrontal cortex leads to impairments in social behaviors. , There are a lot of different types of GABAA receptors; the different types of receptors are made of different subunits and have different properties. In the Paine lab this summer, we looked at the effects of stimulating GABAA receptors that contain the α1 subunit, and testing its effects on sociability. Rats were injected with zolpidem, and then placed in social interaction paradigms and tests of reward and locomotor activity. In these paradigms, experimental rats avoided social stimulus at a significantly higher rate than control rats, suggesting impaired sociability.