MK-801 and dextrorphan, selective non-competitive antagonists at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, were used to evaluate the effect of NMDA receptor blockade on sexual and motor behaviors in female rats. Ovariectomized rats were treated with estradiol benzoate (EB) for 48 or 72 h followed by progesterone (P) 3.5-4 h before testing the animals for sexual receptivity. After testing for estrous responsiveness, the effect of NMDA antagonists on several motor behaviors was also assessed. Lordosis frequency and intensity were inhibited in animals that received 0.5 mg/kg MK-801 30 min before EB; the same dose of MK-801 was relatively ineffective when administered 24 h after EB. In neither case did MK-801-treated females differ from controls when motor behaviors were assessed after mating tests. When 30 mg/kg dextrorphan, a short-acting NMDA antagonist, was administered 15 min before P, sexual behavior was not blocked. However, both 0.05 mg/kg MK-801 and 30 mg/kg dextrorphan suppressed ongoing female sexual behavior within 30 min in animals made receptive with EB and P. These deficits in sexual behavior were associated with changes in motor performance. MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg) and dextrorphan (30 mg/kg) abolished movement in the vertical dimension (e.g. jumping and rearing). By contrast, the drugs increased movement in the longitudinal (locomotion) and lateral (circling) dimensions. At 0.2 mg/kg, MK-801 blocked movement in both the vertical and longitudinal dimensions; however, it failed to block circling. Only at 0.4 mg/kg did MK-801 inhibit lateral movements and righting reflexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)