The rise of a new GABA pharmacology.

Abstract

Key developments in GABA pharmacology over the last 30 years are reviewed with special reference to the advances pioneered by Erminio Costa. His passion for innovative science, and his quest for novel therapies for psychiatric disorders are particularly apparent in his fundamental contributions to the field of GABA research, with a focus on anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. He was a cofounder of the GABAergic mechanism of action of benzodiazepines. He envisaged partial agonists as novel anxiolytics. He identified DBI (diazepam binding inhibitor) as endogenous agonist of neurosteroidogenesis with multiple CNS effects and he pointed to the developmental origin of GABAergic dysfunctions in schizophrenia through his discovery of a reelin deficit, all this in collaboration with Sandro Guidotti. Today, the GABA pharmacology comprises selective hypnotics, non-sedative anxiolytics, memory enhancers and powerful analgesics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Trends in neuropharmacology: in memory of Erminio Costa'.

• Authors: Hanns Möhler
• Journal: Neuropharmacology (Neuropharmacology) Vol. 60 Issue 7-8 Pg. 1042-9 (Jun 2011) ISSN: 1873-7064 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21035473 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Analgesics
• Diazepam Binding Inhibitor
• GABA Agents
• Hypnotics and Sedatives
• Receptors, GABA-A
• Reelin Protein
• Benzodiazepines
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
• RELN protein, human

Topics

• Analgesics (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Benzodiazepines (agonists, antagonists & inhibitors, chemistry, pharmacology)
• Diazepam Binding Inhibitor (metabolism, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• GABA Agents (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Hypnotics and Sedatives (antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism, pharmacology)
• Panic Disorder (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Receptors, GABA-A (drug effects, genetics, physiology)
• Reelin Protein
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (physiology)