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Previous studies have shown that a repeated 6‐hr restraint stress causes hippocampal plasticity and a shift in the profile of activated neurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), suggesting an alteration in mechanisms that direct learning and memory in repeatedly stressed individuals. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a less severe stress exposure induces similar adaptations and whether this response is sex‐specific. Adult male and female rats were acutely or repeatedly restrained for 30 min/d; brain sections were stained immunohistochemically for Fos and calbindin (CB), a marker of GABAergic neurons, and quantified in the BLA to determine cellular activation along with phenotypic profile. Significance was determined by t‐test, with p<0.05 considered significant. We hypothesized that repeated stress would decrease the number of BLA neurons expressing both Fos and CB, compared to control or acutely stressed rats, but that these effects would not differ between sexes. In support of our hypothesis, the number of CB‐expressing neurons in the BLA did not differ according to sex or stress treatment. However, we did not find any significant differences in the number of activated (Fos‐expressing) CB neurons in either sex in response to stress. Therefore, this specific type of GABAergic influence from the BLA to the hippocampus may not be affected by this level of stress.Supported by: 8G12MD007592

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