Detailed knowledge of the anatomical distribution of different GABA A receptor subunits is crucial for understanding the physiological actions of GABA in individual brain areas and for developing drugs acting through the individual GABA receptor subtypes. Since the amygdala is a key brain structure in the processing of emotional information with distinct functions in each nucleus, GABA A receptors in the amygdala are an important target of treatment for emotional disorders. In this study, we analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR the expression levels of all GABA A receptor subunits in distinct nuclei of the amygdala, the central (Ce) and the lateral/basolateral (LA/BLA) amygdala. We found the strongest expression of the γ 2 subunit mRNA in both the Ce and LA/BLA, modest expressions of α 1, α 2 and α 3 mRNAs in the LA/BLA and α 2 and γ 1 mRNAs in the Ce, and weak expressions of α 6, ρ 2 and ρ 3 mRNAs in both regions. We further revealed the significantly different expressions of α 1, α 3, α 5, γ 1, γ 2, δ, ε and θ subunit mRNAs in the Ce and LA/BLA. Differences in the expression levels of GABA A receptor subunits suggest different sensitivity to a variety of drugs including benzodiazepines and anesthetics in amygdala nuclei with distinct functions.