Intracellular recordings were made from rat striatal neurones in vitro. In the presence of intracellular caesium and extracellular tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA) (5 mM) and barium (3 mM), long-lasting plateau potentials developed followed by a prominent voltage independent hyperpolarization which lasted several seconds. A similar afterhyperpolarization was observed when calcium was replaced by barium. The afterhyperpolarization was reduced in a potassium free medium and reversibly abolished in a Na+-free solution or by cooling the slice to 21-24 degrees C. It was also irreversibly blocked by ouabain (50 microM). This hyperpolarization may therefore result from the activation of a Na+,K+-ATPase electrogenic pump.