Role of GABAergic mechanisms in the central regulation of arterial pressure.

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) may represent the single most prevalent neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. Consequently, it should come as little surprise that the neural circuitry concerned with regulating systemic arterial pressure through the autonomic nervous system utilizes a number of GABAergic inhibitory mechanisms which are anatomically and functionally distinct. This article will, first, summarize findings from our laboratory and other which suggest some of these roles in the mammalian brainstem, and, second, trace a line of research pointing to a particular GABAergic inhibitory mechanism in the forebrain that may have some relevance to experimental and human hypertension.