In an effort to provide evidence as to the regulatory role of the central dopaminergic system on the renal function, the effects of centrally administered dopamine and its specific antagonist haloperidol were investigated. Haloperidol (HA) given intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) induced antidiuresis in doses of 15 and 50μg/kg. With 15μg/kg sodium reabsorption in the tubules was increased, while with 50μg/kg free-water reabsorption was increased. However, a marked diuresis with increased sodium and potassium was observed with 150μg/kg. Hemodynamic changes were not evident, indicating that the diuresis is of tubular origin. Dopamine (DA), on the other hand, produced antidiuresis when given i.c.v. in a dose-related fashion. With smaller doses of 5 and 15μg/kg the antidiuresis was related to increased reabsorption of sodium in the tubules, but higher doses of 50 and 150μg/kg the decreases in renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate were evident in addition to the tubular action. After pretreatment with 150μg/kg HA, the effects of 15μg/kg DA was abolished, but the antidiuretic actions of 50 and 150μg/kg were not blocked, and the natriuretic diuretic action of HA was overcome and became inconspicuous. These observations indicate that the central dopaminergic system influences the renal function by producing antidiuresis, and HA elicits diuresis and natriuresis by competitively antagonizing DA specifically on the central dopaminegic receptors. The antidiuresis observed with smaller doses of HA can be best explained by the facts that there are more than two types of DA-receptors in the brain and that the presynaptic autoreceptors on the dopaminergic neurones which affect the dopamine release at the synapse are more sensitive than the postsynaptic receptors. Overall, these data provide an evidence indicating that the central dopaminergic system plays a role in the regulation of renal function in the rabbit.