gamma-aminobutyric acid

noun

gam·​ma-ami·​no·​bu·​tyr·​ic acid ˌga-mə-ə-ˌmē-(ˌ)nō-byü-ˈtir-ik- 

ˌga-mə-ˌa-mə-(ˌ)nō-

: an amino acid C₄H₉NO₂ that is a neurotransmitter which induces inhibition of postsynaptic neurons

Examples of gamma-aminobutyric acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But in the late 1970s, researchers began to learn that the drugs helped flood the brain with gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, which in essence blocks your nervous system from receiving too many activation signals. —P.e. Moskowitz september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

This receptor normally gives passage to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important molecule that inhibits brain activity. —Rj MacKenzie, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2025

Vitamin B6 is needed to make serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), another neurotransmitter that regulates mood. —Kathleen Daly, Verywell Health, 3 Sep. 2025

Astrocytic gamma-aminobutyric acid dysregulation as a therapeutic target for posttraumatic stress disorder. —Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gamma-aminobutyric acid

• antacid
• placid

Medical Definition

gamma-aminobutyric acid

noun

gam·​ma-ami·​no·​bu·​tyr·​ic acid

variants also γ-aminobutyric acid

ˌgam-ə-ə-ˌmē-(ˌ)nō-byü-ˌtir-ik-, ˌgam-ə-ˌam-ə-(ˌ)nō- 

: an amino acid C₄H₉NO₂ that is a neurotransmitter that induces inhibition of postsynaptic neurons

called also GABA