To examine how adrenergic receptor binding is modified by experimental manipulation of sensory afferent, we carried out binding experiments (membrane fraction and in vitro autoradiography) for both alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors in the brain of cats which had been deprived of vision in one eye. In the cerebral cortex of control animals, beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) binding was found to be higher in the occipital regions than in other regions, while alpha 2-AR binding was relatively uniform. Monocular deprivation throughout the postnatal sensitive period (1-7 month of age) significantly decreased beta-AR binding in the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus. Scatchard plot analysis in the visual cortex showed ca. 50% reduction in Bmax and little change in Kd. No significant difference was found in alpha 2-AR binding following monocular deprivation. Similar extent of down-regulation in beta-AR binding was confirmed in all layers of visual cortex using autoradiography.