Accumulation of [3H]inositol phosphate and [3H]inositol labeling of phosphoinositides were evaluated in brain slices of 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month-old Fischer-344 rats. The dopamine agonist, SKF38393, stimulated significantly lower accumulations of inositol trisphosphate, inositol bisphosphate, and inositol monophosphate in the striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex of 24-month-old rats compared with the 6-month-old animals. No differences, however, were observed between the 3, 6, and 12-month-old groups. Furthermore there were marked decrements of 41% to 58% in the labeling of phosphoinositides in the different brain regions of the aged animals. Dose-response studies in forebrain slices of the 6-month-old and 24-month-old animals showed aging-related decrements of 53% (p less than 0.001) and 48% (p less than 0.001) in the maximal SKF38393-stimulated labeling of phosphoinositides and accumulation of inositol phosphates, respectively. These data suggest that aging of the rat brain is associated with alterations in the basal turnover of the inositol cycle and in the sensitivity of the transduction pathway to dopamine receptor stimulation.