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GABA Transporter 1

Function

GABA Transporter-1 uses Na+ and Cl- to create a gradient, which removes or adds GABA to extracellular spaces in the cerebrum and cerebellum. The stoichiometry for GABA Transporter-1 is 2Na+: 1Cl-: 1GABA. The activity of GAT-1 is largely dependent on the presence of Na+, while Cl- assists by increasing the ability for GAT-1 to uptake GABA.

Drugs

Various inhibitors have been made for GAT-1, which can increase the level of GABA in synaptic clefts 1.5 to 4 fold in basal regions.

Jin, X.-T., Galvan, A., Wichmann, T., & Smith, Y. (2011). Localization and Function of GABA Transporters GAT-1 and GAT-3 in the Basal Ganglia. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 5, 63. http://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2011.00063

Schizophrenia

Research recorded in The American Journal of Psychiatry has shown that schizophrenia patients have GABA synthesis and expression altered, leading to the conclusion that GABA Transporter-1, which adds and removes GABA from the synaptic cleft, plays a role in the development of neurological disorders such as Schizophrenia.

Volk, David W., M.S., Mark C. Austin, Ph.D., Joseph N. Pierri, M.S., M.D., Allan R. Sampson, Ph.D., and David A. Lewis, M.D. "GABA Transporter-1 MRNA in the Prefrontal Cortex in Schizophrenia: Decreased Expression in a Subset of Neurons." The American Journal of Psychiatry 158.2 (2001): 256-65. Web. < http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.2.256 >.