GABA, The Amygdala, and Mood and anxiety Disoredrs   Prof. Gal Richter-Levin (Univ Haifa, Haifa, Israel.) Dr. Oliver Stork (Sch Med, Otto-Von-Guericke Univ, Magdeburg, Germany.)

GABAergic neuromodulation in the brain is usually associated with regulating the level of excitability of the principal excitatory networks of activity that are considered to process information within the brain and to form memories. Abnormal GABAergic neuromodulation is typically associated with epileptic activity and epilepsy whereas affective disorders are traditionally linked to abnormal modulation by monoamines.     However, accumulating data suggests a role for abnormal GABAergic neuromodulation in affective disorders. Furthermore, possible interactions between GABAergic agents and monoamines has recently been suggested.     The proposed symposium brings together four researchers whose complementary research, ranging from more basic neuroscience to biological psychiatry research, and is aimed at elucidating evidence supporting a role of GABAergic neuromodulation in brain malfunction associated with affective and anxiety disorders. Maria F.M. Braga: Stress-induced alterations in GABAergic transmission in the amygdala: Implications for the etiology and treatment of depression. Graziano Pinna: SSRIs increase GABAergic neurosteroid content in cortico-limbic circuits at doses that are inactive on 5-HT reuptake. Oliver Stork: Molecular view on GABAergic function in the amygdala – relevance to anxiety and mood disorders. Gal Richter-Levin: Alteration of amygdalar GABAA Receptor α Subunit maturation in a rat model of mood and anxiety disorders.