Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are classes of psychoactive drugs classified as depressants. They share in common their ability to serve as agonists of the gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system. When these drugs bind to their specific receptor sites on the GABA-gated chloride ($$\text{Cl}^-$$) channel, they open the chloride channel. This allows negatively-charged chloride ions ($$\text{Cl}^-$$) to enter the neuron's cell body, changing its charge in a negative direction and pushing the neuron away from firing. Because of this quieting effect on the brain, these types of drugs are often prescribed to treat both anxiety and insomnia.

Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

GABA agonists are psychoactive drugs that act as agonists of the gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system. Because GABA has a quieting effect on the brain, GABA agonists also produce a quieting effect, making them effective treatments for anxiety and insomnia.

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- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) 
- The main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system
- GABA receptors are divided to large classes: GABA A (ionotropic), GABA B (metabotropic) , GABA C (ionotropic)

GABA

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

The balance between inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate appears to be important in aggressive response to stimuli; antiaggression treatment based on these research

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