The effect of the central catecholaminergic neurons on the cerebral microcirculation was investigated by means of a unilateral intracerebral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) which produced the degeneration of catecholamine (CA) nerve terminals. Subsequent observation with CA histofluorescence revealed an absence of CA fibers in the vicinity of the 6-OHDA injection site. A significant increase in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), measured by the hydrogen clearance method, was demonstrated in the CA-depleted cortex under normocapnia as compared with rCBF in the control cortex (CA-depleted cortex 47.0 +/- 2.8 ml/100 gm/min; control cortex 38.5 +/- 3.5 ml/100 gm/min; p less than 0.005). The increased rCBF in the cortex treated with 6-OHDA was suppressed by the iontophoretic replacement of noradrenaline (NA) to the CA-depleted cortex. An iontophoretic replacement of 10(-5) M dopamine (DA) mildly suppressed the increased rCBF in the 6-OHDA-treated cortex. The CO2 reactivity in the CA-depleted cortex was significantly lower than that of the control cortex (CA-depleted cortex 2.13% +/- 0.6%/mm Hg; control cortex 3.53% +/- 0.70%/mm Hg). No change was noticeable in the cerebral glucose metabolism in the CA-depleted cortex in an investigation based on tritiated (3H)-deoxyglucose uptake. It is suggested that the 6-OHDA-induced change in cerebral blood flow (CBF) is not secondary to alterations in cerebral metabolic rate, and that the central NA neuron system innervating intraparenchymal blood vessels regulates CBF through a direct vasoconstrictive effect on the cerebral blood vessels. The central DA neuron system may modulate the cerebral circulation as a mild vasoconstrictor.