Summary: New studies show that GABA receptors are also found outside the brain, such as on immune cells. GABA can lower inflammation and the risk of thrombosis (blood clots) and help manage COVID-19. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. That is a brain chemical that calms nerve cells. It is easy to buy as a health supplement, and people use it to sharpen brain function and ease stress and anxiety.
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It is a key control on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system. GABA binds to certain receptors on the surface of nerve cells. That makes these cells less excitable and less active. The result is a calming, relaxing effect on body and mind. GABA is especially important for mood and anxiety. Low GABA levels are tied to anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
Many drugs for depression and anxiety work by boosting GABA or by binding to GABA receptors. Beyond mood and anxiety, GABA also plays a part in memory, learning, and attention. It plays a key role in sleep and wakefulness too. GABA matters for physical health as well. For example, it helps control muscle tone, blood pressure, and heart rate. It also fights inflammation, which may help in chronic pain and autoimmune disorders.
GABA has long been sold as a supplement for brain disorders. But its use there is limited, because not enough of it crosses the blood-brain barrier. In recent years, researchers have looked at its role in other health problems. New studies show that GABA acts much more broadly, so it can shape many body functions.
GABA can help fight inflammation and steer the immune system. So researchers now think it may also help manage COVID-19 infection. The new study looked at whether GABA-receptor (GABA-R) agonists, drugs that switch these receptors on, could treat COVID-19. GABA-Rs are neurotransmitter receptors that are found in the central nervous system. They also show up on immune cells and on the cells lining the lungs. Past research has shown that GABA-R agonists can calm inflammatory immune cells and limit acute lung injuries.
The study also notes that plasma GABA levels are low in COVID-19 patients in the hospital. That suggests GABA-R agonists may help treat the disease. The study used a mouse model. Mice got oral GABA at different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection. GABA treatment cut disease severity, the lung coefficient index, and death rates in the mice.
The mice also had less virus in their lungs. Their blood cytokine and chemokine levels (immune signals) shifted in a way linked to better outcomes in COVID-19 patients. The study concludes that switching on GABA-R had many benefits in the mouse model. It suggests testing a number of GABA-R agonists that are already safe for humans in clinical trials with COVID-19 patients. The study also found that GABA-R helps cut neuroinflammation, especially neuroinflammation caused by COVID-19 infection.
To sum up, it is time to consider GABA agonists or supplements for a range of physical ailments. GABA is not only for certain brain or mental health issues. It can help with physical ailments too.
Frequently asked questions
What does GABA do in the body?
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It binds to receptors on nerve cells and turns down their excitability, which calms body and mind. It helps control mood, anxiety, memory, learning, attention, and sleep and wakefulness. Outside the brain it helps control muscle tone, blood pressure and heart rate. It also fights inflammation, which may matter in chronic pain and autoimmune disorders.
What are the symptoms of a lack of GABA?
Low GABA levels are tied to anxiety, depression and panic disorders, because GABA acts as a brake on overactive nerve cells. That is why many antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs work by boosting GABA or binding to GABA receptors. GABA also helps govern sleep, memory, attention and muscle tone. So it touches far more than mood alone.
Do GABA supplements work?
GABA has long been sold as a supplement for brain health, stress and anxiety. But its use there is limited: not enough of it crosses the blood-brain barrier. The more interesting finding is outside the brain. GABA receptors also sit on immune cells and on the cells lining the lungs. That is why researchers are now studying GABA for inflammation and infection, including COVID-19.
Can GABA help treat COVID-19?
So far the evidence comes from mice. In a mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, oral GABA cut disease severity, the lung coefficient index, lung viral load and deaths. It also shifted blood cytokine levels in a direction linked to better outcomes. COVID-19 patients in the hospital have low plasma GABA levels. The researchers suggest testing GABA-receptor agonists that are already safe for humans in clinical trials.
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When you are ready or have questions, reach out. The content provided here is not intended to provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice; it also does not constitute provision of healthcare services. No information in this content should ever be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional, it is provided for thoughtful discussion, informational and educational purposes only.
Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
