The administration of dizocilpine (0.06 mg kg-1), but not of CGP 43487 (0.75 mg kg-1), counteracted the hypolocomotion induced in the rat by low doses (5-80 microg kg-1) of the putative D3 dopamine agonist 7-OH-DPAT. Both NMDA antagonists did not change the reduced locomotion due to the administration of low doses (12.5-50 microg kg-1) of the D2 agonist quinpirole. In spite of the lack of effect of either NMDA receptor antagonist on D2 or D3 recognition sites, as shown by our radioligand binding studies, the behavioural findings suggest that the non-competitive, but not the competitive, NMDA receptor antagonist physiologically antagonizes dopamine D3 receptor mediated mechanisms. Both NMDA receptor antagonists failed to modify the hyperlocomotion induced by high doses (160 and 320 microg kg-1) of 7-OH-DPAT, whereas they inhibited the same behavioural response produced by high doses of quinpirole (150 and 300 microg kg-1). The different effect of the NMDA receptor antagonists on the behavioural responses induced by the dopaminergic agonists could be explained by the different activity of 7-OH-DPAT and quinpirole on D3/D2 receptors. Either dizocilpine or CGP 43487 induced stereotyped responses to high doses of 7-OH-DPAT. This suggests that both NMDA receptor antagonists could potentiate dopaminergic function in the striatum, a region critically involved in the generation of stereotyped behaviour.