Apomorphine antagonistic effects of a range of dopamine (DA) antagonists were studied after intracerebral and after peripheral injection. Inhibitory activity was found selectively within the ventral striatum with a D-1 antagonist (SCH 23390), D-2 antagonists (benzamides, butyrophenones) and mixed D-1/D-2 antagonists (thioxanthenes, phenothiazines), whereas alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists, muscarinic- and serotonin S2-antagonists were ineffective. Great differences in absolute potencies and in peripheral versus intrastriatal potency ratios were observed. High peripheral versus central selectivity ratios and high intrastriatal potencies were found with the hydrophilic compounds (-)-sulpiride, veralipride and domperidone which do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier. High intrastriatal potency was also observed for the benzamide, YM 09151-2, haloperidol and spiroperidol although these compounds had lower peripheral versus intrastriatal selectivity ratios. Neuroleptic potency after intracerebral administration did not depend solely on DA receptor affinity but additionally on physicochemical properties. On the basis of the peripheral vs. intrastriatal potency ratios, it is concluded that only few of the neuroleptics tested in this study are suited for topographical studies of DA receptor function using intracerebral injection but that (-)-sulpiride is one example combining high potency, high central selectivity, high DA D-2 receptor specificity, stereoselectivity and long duration of action. The site-selectivity of apomorphine-antagonistic effects was further studied using (-)-sulpiride as a model compound. Inhibitory activity against oral stereotypy was preferentially found after injection into the ventral striatum, whereas the low-component patterns of apomorphine stereotypy (sniffing, rearing, motility) were blocked equally well in the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)