Intracerebroventricular administration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or intraperitoneal injection of the GABA transaminase A inhibitor aminooxyacetic acid (AOAA) depressed ventilation in halothane-anesthetized rats. The depression was due to changes in both respiratory frequency (f) and tidal volume (VT) after GABA, whereas AOAA decreased only f. Intracerebroventricular GABA decreased inspiratory drive (VT/TI; intrapulmonary pressure at 100 ms) but did not change the bulbopontine setting of inspiratory duration (TI). Moreover, respiratory duty cycle (TI/TT) was decreased, and the ventilatory response to CO2 exposure was blunted. The ventilatory depression induced by GABA was reversed by the GABA antagonist bicuculline. The GABA content measured 45 min after AOAA administration was significantly increased in the whole brain, the hemispheres, striatum, and lower spinal cord regions. Whole-brain GABA content was significantly correlated to the changes in f, minute ventilation, TI, expiratory duration (TE), and total cycle duration. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between brain stem GABA content and TI/TT but not VT/TI. In summary, GABA seems to interact with the central regulation of respiration at different levels in the brain. The main effect of increased endogenous concentrations of GABA is, however, a decrease in respiratory frequency due to a prolongation in TE.