Previous work with membrane preparations had demonstrated that the agonist (+)-4-propyl-9-hydroxynaphthoxazine (PHNO) labels the high-affinity state of dopamine D2 receptors with 67-fold selectivity over D1 sites. In this study, quantitative autoradiography was used to examine the binding of [3H](+)PHNO to rat brain sections. Highest binding densities were found in caudate-putamen, accumbens, and olfactory tubercles, as expected, and also in specific layers of the olfactory bulb. In addition, a second group of brain regions, including lateral septum, entorhinal cortex, molecular layer of hippocampus, and several brainstem structures showed low but consistent levels of binding. In all brain regions [3H](+)PHNO binding (2 nM) was completely displaced by 10 microM sulpiride (> 99%). Addition of 150 microM guanilylimidodiphosphate, which normally converts D2 receptors from high to low affinity states, abolished [3H](+)PHNO binding in all brain regions (> 99%), except for the islands of Callejas. This is likely to reflect binding to D3 sites in this area. Omission of preincubation in binding assays decreased [3H](+)PHNO binding in a regionally dependent manner, with strongest effects (22%) seen in high-density areas. These preincubation results confirm that (+)PHNO may have limitations for in vivo imaging studies. On the other hand, [3H](+)PHNO's negligible levels of non-specific binding compared to other agonists and overall selectivity would make it an excellent tool for in vitro autoradiographic monitoring of the high affinity state of D2 receptors.