1. The binding of [3H]-idazoxan in the presence of 10(-6) M (-)-adrenaline was used to quantitate non-adrenoceptor idazoxan binding sites (NAIBS) in the rat brain after treatment with various psychotropic drugs. 2. Chronic treatment (14 days) with the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors clorgyline (0.3-10 mg kg-1, i.p.) and pargyline (10 mg kg-1, i.p.), but not with Ro 41-1049 (1 mg kg-1, i.p.), markedly decreased (30-50%) the density of NAIBS in the cerebral cortex without any apparent change in the affinity of the radioligand. 3. Acute (1 day) and/or chronic treatments (14 days) with other psychotropic drugs such as desipramine (3 mg kg-1, i.p.), cocaine (10 mg kg-1, i.p.), reserpine (0.12 mg kg-1, s.c.), haloperidol (1 mg kg-1, i.p.) and diazepam (10 mg kg-1, i.p.) did not alter the density of NAIBS in the cerebral cortex. 4. In vitro, the propargylamines clorgyline, pargyline and deprenyl displaced the binding of [3H]-idazoxan to NAIBS from two distinct sites, but only clorgyline displayed an apparent very high affinity for a relevant population of NAIBS (KiH = 40 pM; KiL = 10.6 microM). The structurally diverse MAO inhibitors Ro 16-6491 (selective for MAO-B) and Ro 41-1049 (selective for MAO-A), as well as the other psychotropic drugs (desipramine, cocaine, reserpine and haloperidol) displaced the binding of [3H]-idazoxan to NAIBS monophasically and with very low potencies. As expected, the MAO inhibitors clorgyline and Ro 41-1049 displaced the binding of [3H]-Ro 41-1049 to MAO-A monophasically and with high potencies (Ki values: 0.18 nM and 22 nM, respectively). In contrast, idazoxan displayed very low affinity (Ki =40 microM) against the binding of pH]-Ro 41-1049 to MAO-A. These results disprove a direct interaction between [3H]-idazoxan and the enzyme MAO.5. Preincubation of cortical membranes with clorgyline (10-9M or 10-6 M for 30 min) or pargyline(10-6 M or 10-5M for 30 min), reduced by 30-50% and by 17-30%, respectively, the total density of NAIBS without any apparent change in the affinity of the radioligand. Preincubation with 10-6M clorgyline did not alter the affinity of cirazoline for the two populations of NAIBS, but reduced by 60%the binding of [3H]-idazoxan to the high affinity site without affecting the binding of the radioligand to the low affinity site. These results indicate that the two MAO inhibitors irreversibly block the binding of[3H]-idazoxan to NAIBS.6. In vivo, however, various acute treatments with clorgyline (1-20 mg kg-1, i.p.) for different time intervals (6-48 h) did not alter the density of NAIBS. In vivo, only very high doses of clorgyline (40 and 80 mg kg-1, i.p.) induced modest decreases (21-28%) in the density of NAIBS in the cerebral cortex.7. Together the results indicate that the irreversible binding of clorgyline and pargyline to NAIBSfound in vitro does not fully explain the marked decreases in the density of NAIBS found in vivo after the chronic treatments. It is suggested that the down-regulation of NAIBS induced in vivo by clorgyline and pargyline, through a direct or indirect mechanism, may have functional implications.