Research in the Maguire lab focuses on the role of GABAA receptors (GABAARs), which mediate the majority of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the brain, in the regulation of stress-relevant circuits. Our goal is to understand how GABAARs and therefore GABAergic inhibition is regulated under both physiological and pathological conditions. Our research program investigates dysregulation in the GABAergic control of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons, which regulate the body’s physiological response to stress via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as a potential mechanism contributing to epilepsy and affective disorders, including postpartum depression. Our research program also investigates the role of GABAergic interneurons in the amygdala in mediating the network communication of fear and anxiety, researching the contribution to the anxiolytic effects of alcohol and co-morbid anxiety and epilepsy. The role of neurosteroid-sensitive GABAARs in these stress circuits are of particular interest to our laboratory, given that they are sensitive to regulation by ovarian and stress hormones. Overall, the Maguire lab focuses on the intersection between GABAergic inhibition and stress in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.