Rats injected with haloperidol, which binds to both D2 dopamine and sigma receptors or the specific D2 dopamine receptor antagonist YM 09151-2, but not the specific D1 dopamine receptor antagonist SCH 23390, showed induction of c-fos protein and c-fos-related antigens in striatal neurons. This effect of haloperidol and YM 09151-2 was inhibited by the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist MK801 but was not affected by 1,3-di-O-tolylguanidine, a selective sigma receptor ligand. Two different antisera were used to detect c-fos protein: one was specific for c-fos protein itself while the other recognized c-fos protein as well as c-fos protein-related antigens. In time-course immunocytochemical studies, the c-fos protein was induced maximally by 1 h and had returned to baseline by 24 h. However, c-fos protein-related antigens were induced maximally after 2 h and remained elevated for at least three days after haloperidol injection. Furthermore, the c-fos protein-specific antiserum detected two to three times fewer immunopositive striatal cells than the antiserum which detected both c-fos protein-related antigens and c-fos protein in haloperidol-treated rats. This result suggests that some striatal neurons express c-fos protein-related antigens but not c-fos protein after haloperidol injection. In some striatal sections from haloperidol-injected rats immunostained with the antiserum which recognizes both c-fos protein and c-fos protein-related antigens, there were large areas of immunopositive neurons interspersed with "areas" of striatum devoid of immunostaining. The implications of these results for theories concerning the biochemical mechanism of action of haloperidol are discussed.