Behavioral responses to apomorphine and to the selective D1 and D2 dopamine receptor agonists SK&F38393 and quinpirole were evaluated in rats following ibotenic acid (IA) or sham lesion of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). IA-lesioned rats showed an increased responsiveness to the postsynaptic effects of all of the dopamine agonists. Patterns of the responses to the selective agonists administered alone and in combination suggest that these effects might be due to selective increases in the sensitivity of postsynaptic D1 receptor-associated mechanisms. In addition, IA-lesioned rats pretreated with saline were hyperactive in comparison to sham-lesioned rats when animals were exposed to a novel open field, but spontaneous motor activity did not differ between these two groups when animals were pretreated with low doses (0.03 mg/kg) of quinpirole. The fact that hyperreactivity observed in lesioned animals is inhibited by a dose of quinpirole that is felt to act presynaptically, selectively attenuating endogenous dopaminergic tone, suggests that effects of the MPFC lesion may be mediated presynaptically as well.