The mechanisms by which uridine enters and leaves brain, choroid plexus, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were investigated in the isolated choroid plexus in vitro and by injecting [3H]uridine intravenously and intraventricularly. Consistent with its postulated role in transporting uridine from blood into CSF, the isolated rabbit choroid plexus concentrated uridine with 10 microM uridine in the medium. [3H]Uridine, with and without unlabeled uridine, was infused at a constant rate into conscious adult rabbits. At 180 min, [3H]uridine entered CSF, choroid plexus, and brain more rapidly than mannitol. In brain, approximately 60-80% of the nonvolatile radioactivity was [3H]uridine phosphates. The addition of 2.1 mmol/kg of unlabeled uridine to the infusion syringe decreased the relative entry of [3H]uridine into brain by approximately 75% due mainly to the decreased formation of [3H]uridine phosphates and increased formation of [3H]uracil. Two hours after the intraventricular injection of [3H]uridine, [3H]uridine was cleared from CSF more rapidly than mannitol, in part to brain, where approximately 75% of the [3H]uridine was converted to [3H]uridine phosphates. The intraventricular injection of 42 mumol unlabeled uridine with the [3H]uridine decreased the phosphorylation of [3H]uridine in brain significantly and also decreased the clearance of [3H]uridine from the CSF. From blood, uridine enters CSF and the extracellular space of brain. Uridine then can enter brain cells, be phosphorylated to uridine phosphates, and subsequently incorporated into RNA or be catabolized to uracil.