Valium without dependence? Individual GABA receptor subtype contribution toward benzodiazepine addiction, tolerance, and therapeutic effects.

Benzodiazepines are one of the most prescribed medications as first-line treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy around the world. Over the past two decades, advances in the neuropharmacological understanding of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors revealed distinct contributions from each subtype and produced effects. Recent findings have highlighted the importance of α containing GABA receptors in the mechanisms of addiction and tolerance in benzodiazepine treatments.