The conformationally restricted cis and trans isomer of substituted cyclobutanes were examined for their ability to inhibit 3H-norepinephrine and 3H-dopamine accumulation by synaptosomes prepared from the cortex and corpus striatum, respectively. The drugs were more effective in preventing the accumulation of 3H-norepinephrine by cortical synaptosomes than 3H-dopamine by striatal synaptosomes. However, in the synaptosomes isolated from both regions, the trans isomers were more potent inhibitors of accumulation than the cis isomers. The greatest stereoselectivity was exhibited by the isomers of 2-amino-1-phenylcyclobutanol. The accumulation of 3H-norepinephrine by cortical synaptosomes and the accumulation of 3H-dopamine by striatal synaptosomes were inhibited 50% by concentrations of the trans isomer of 7.4 X 10(-6) M and 1.7 X 10(-4) M, respectively. The cis isomer was inactive. In separate experiments, the releasing capabilities of the restricted analogs were determined by superfusing cortical and striatal synaptosomes labelled in vitro with 3H-catecholamines. The trans and cis isomers elicited a trivial release of 3H-norepinephrine and 3H-dopamine from cortical and striatal synaptosomes, respectively. The results indicate that the decreased synaptosomal accumulation of 3H-catecholamines caused by the analogs was due mainly to inhibition of uptake. The influence of dihydral angle between phenyl--NH2 on the inhibition of uptake is discussed. It is concluded that the anti conformation of sympathomimetic amines is the preferred conformation at the noradrenergic amine pump.