gamma-Aminobutyric acid
![GABA molecule](/Images/godic/202501/14/GABA_3D_ball5412.png")
![](/Images/godic/202501/14/Synapse_GABA5412.png")
![The production, release, action, and degradation of GABA at a stereotyped GABAergic synapse](/Images/godic/202501/14/GABAergic-synapse5412.gif")
![mRNA expression of the embryonic variant of the GABA-producing enzyme GAD67 in a coronal brain section of a one-day-old Wistar rat, with the highest expression in subventricular zone (svz); from Popp et al., 2009[26]](/Images/godic/202501/14/Autoradiography_of_a_brain_slice_from_an_embryonal_rat_-_PMID19190758_PLoS_00043715412.png")
gamma-Aminobutyric acid (γ-Aminobutyric acid) /ˈɡæmə əˈmiːnoʊbjuːˈtɪrᵻk ˈæsᵻd/ (also called GABA /ˈɡæbə/ for short) is the chief inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It plays the principal role in reducing neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. In humans, GABA is also directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone.