It has been proposed that opioids act at the level of the medulla to produce facial pruritus. Supporting this hypothesis, microinjection of mu-opioid receptor agonists into the medullary dorsal horn (MDH; trigeminal subnucleus caudalis) of monkeys produces facial scratching behavior. The present study sought to establish a rodent model of opioid-induced facial pruritus. To this end, morphine (0.1, 0.3 or 1.0 micrograms/0.2 microliter) or saline (0.2 microliter) was unilaterally microinjected into the MDH of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Behavior for the 20 min preceding and the 80 min after this microinjection was videotaped. Morphine produced dose-dependent increases in facial scratching behavior ipsilateral to the microinjections with the peak effect at 30-40 min after microinjection. Facial scratching continued for the entire 80 min post-microinjection test period. Morphine also produced a lesser degree of facial scratching contralateral to the microinjections. Increases in facial scratching ipsilateral to the microinjection of 0.3 microgram morphine into the MDH were attenuated by 0.4 mg/kg s.c. naloxone. These findings support the hypothesis that the MDH is a critical site of action of opioid agonists in producing facial pruritus.