Patent ID: 7816074

Claim:
A method of screening for a drug which decreases expression of the α 4 β 2 δ GABA A receptor, said method comprising: (a) expressing α 4 , β 2 and δ subunits of the GABA A receptor in cultured eukaryotic cells; (b) applying a drug to the cultured eukaryotic cells of (a); (c) measuring the levels of the δ subunit of said GABA A receptor from the treated cultured eukaryotic cells of step (b); (d) determining whether the drug applied in step (b) decreases expression of said δ subunit of said GABA A receptor; and (e) correlating a decrease in expression of said δ subunit of the GABA A receptor found in the treated cultured eukaryotic cells of step (b) when compared to control cultured eukaryotic cells expressing α 4 , β 2 , and δ subunits of the GABA A receptor having no drug application, with the identification of a drug which decreases expression of the α 4 β 2 δ GABA A receptor.