The effect of a focal stimulation of the magnocellular nucleus of the basal forebrain at two different areas, the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and the substantia innominata (SI), on local cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the frontal, parietal and occipital cortices was examined in urethane-anesthetized rats. The stimulation, either electrically or chemically, of both the NBM and SI produced significant CBF increase in all these 3 cortices ipsilateral to the stimulation site. This fact suggests that activation of neurons originating in the NBM and SI produces widespread increases in local CBF in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex.