Intracerebral haematoma was produced in 25 adult rats by infusion of 100 microl of autologous blood into the striatum. The animals' brains were removed at 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after production of the haematoma. The TUNEL method was used to detect DNA fragmentation and TUNEL-positive cells were qualified. TUNEL-positive cells were already found on the first day of observation and were present for three weeks after haematoma production. These results provide evidence that programmed cell death is associated with intracerebral haemorrhage.