Research in the Moss lab focuses on the receptors that mediate the actions of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system. GABA receptors are also critical drug targets for anti-convulsants, sedatives and anesthetics. The lab is interested in understanding how neurons regulate the accumulation of these critical inhibitory receptors on the neuronal surface in addition to their functional properties. Given that altered GABA receptor function plays critical roles in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, the results may lead to new insights and therapeutic strategies for such debilitating disorders as epilepsy, anxiety, schizophrenia, depression and substance abuse.