Beta subunit of the heteropentameric ligand-gated chloride channel gated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain (PubMed:19763268, PubMed:27789573, PubMed:29950725, PubMed:8264558). GABA-gated chloride channels, also named GABA(A) receptors (GABAAR), consist of five subunits arranged around a central pore and contain GABA active binding site(s) located at the alpha and beta subunit interface(s) (PubMed:29950725). When activated by GABA, GABAARs selectively allow the flow of chloride anions across the cell membrane down their electrochemical gradient (By similarity). Chloride influx into the postsynaptic neuron following GABAAR opening decreases the neuron ability to generate a new action potential, thereby reducing nerve transmission (By similarity). GABAARs containing alpha-1 and beta-2 or -3 subunits exhibit synaptogenic activity; the gamma-2 subunit being necessary but not sufficient to induce rapid synaptic contacts formation (PubMed:23909897, PubMed:25489750). Extrasynaptic beta-2 receptors contribute to the tonic GABAergic inhibition (By similarity). Beta-containing GABAARs can simultaneously bind GABA and histamine where histamine binds at the interface of two neighboring beta subunits, which may be involved in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness (By similarity). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:P08219, ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:P63138, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19763268, ECO:0000269|PubMed:23909897, ECO:0000269|PubMed:25489750, ECO:0000269|PubMed:27789573, ECO:0000269|PubMed:29950725, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8264558}. This is the function of GABRB2 (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit beta2, Ensembl gene identifier ENSG00000145864).