Chronic benzodiazepine use and GABA-B

[Vieno]

Check out this claim:

Discontinuation of chronic injections of PB [phenibut] to rats increases the density of GABAA and BDZ receptors in striatum while that of GABAB is decreased (38 ). Chronically administered BDZs have opposite effects.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1527-3458.2001.tb00211.x/pdf

For the phenibut influence there are references, but for the claim regarding benzos there are no. Does anyone know if the claim is true? Chronic benzo use upregulates GABA-B in the striatum? Could it be true?

 

[sekio]

I think regular use of benzos has its own set of problems. Even if it did upregulate GABA-B, there's no evidence that taking BZDs on the regular is actually beneficial at all.

 

[Vieno]

Oh, that's not what I'm suggesting. Regular benzo use most certainly is detrimental. I'm not even saying that GABA-B upregulation is beneficial, it probably isn't for the healthy person. But I'm still curious if this truly happens. Trying to understand the dynamics of GABA receptors in certain loci of basal ganglia.