GABA concentration, so this subunit switching would have the effect of attenuating GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition and may make this brain region more susceptible to the neuropathological consequences of chronic alcoholism (Buckley et al. 2006). More recently, Haughey et al. (2008) reported that levels of α2 subunit mRNA and protein in prefrontal cortex differed between subjects with GABRA2 (the gene encoding the α2 subunit) genotypes, with higher levels of α2 subunit expression in prefrontal cortex of subjects with the AA genotype compared to subjects with the AG genotype (SNP rs279858); however, there was no difference between ethanol-dependent and control subjects.
