The uptake of (3H)dopamine into nerve endings (synaptosomes) isolated from cortex and brain stem of rats under various stages of ethanol intoxication were studied. Acute or chronic ethanol treatment inhibited the high affinity uptake of dopamine into both regions by about 30% when rats were still under ethanol. The inhibition in brain stem persisted even after 120 h of withdrawal from ethanol. In cortex, 16 h after acute treatment, the uptake was slightly (about 10%) elevated from that of control in contrast to chronic rats, which were 43 and 41% more than that of the control after withdrawal from ethanol for 48 and 120 h, respectively.