GABRA1 and GABRG2 are both critical for the formation of GABAA receptors that regulate neuronal signaling (McKernan et al., 1991; Tozuka et al., 2005; Li X. et al., 2020), and these receptors are significantly upregulated in BALB/c mice compared to C57BL/6 mice indicating possible enhanced GABAergic signaling in BALB/c mice brains enabling better control of neuropathology caused by infection. Here, GABRG2 is linked to infection.