To study possible interactions between dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) neurochemical systems in the D-1 supersensitized induction of oral activity in neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rats, the effects of a series of 5-HT agonists and antagonists were determined. At 3 days after birth rats were treated with desipramine HCl (20 mg/kg i.p., base form, 1 hr) and 6-OHDA HBr (100 micrograms, salt form, in each lateral ventricle). Rats were observed individually as adults, once a minute every 10 min over a 1-hr period after challenge with a DA or 5-HT receptor agonist. The respective 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B agonists, (+/-)-8-hydroxydipropylaminotetralin (0.50 mg/kg s.c.) and CGS 12066B maleate (7-trifluoromethyl-4(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-pyrrolo[1, 2-alquinoxaline], 1:2 maleate salt; 3.0 mg/kg i.p.), did not increase oral activity. The mixed 5-HT1C and 5-HT2 receptor agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), produced a slight increase in oral activity in control rats and a marked increase in oral activity in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. In the 6-OHDA group the peak effect of 76.5 +/- 4.1 oral movements occurred with an m-CPP 2-HCl dose of 4.0 mg/kg. Pindolol (1.0 mg/kg i.p.), ketanserin tartrate (5 mg/kg i.p.) and MDL-72222 (3-tropanyl-3,5-dichlorobenzoate; 10 mg/kg s.c.), antagonists with high affinity for 5-HT1A,1B, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors, respectively, did not attenuate m-CPP actions. However, mianserin HCl (1.0 mg/kg s.c.), an antagonist with high affinity for 5-HT1C and 5-HT2 receptors, attenuated the oral response to m-CPP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)