Maternal care during the first week of life is associated with stable individual differences in GABAA receptor subunit expression in brain regions that regulate stress reactivity. The adult offspring of high-LG mothers show significantly higher levels of GABAA/BZ receptor binding in the basolateral and central nuclei of the amygdala, as well as the locus ceruleus. These findings provide a mechanism for increased GABAergic inhibition of amygdala-locus ceruleus activity. Importantly, maternal care also affects the behavioral sensitivity to acute BZ administration. The offspring of high-LG mothers show an increased anxiolytic response to acute BZ administration.
