Selective quenching of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) by trinitrophenyl groups was utilized to examine the transbilayer fluidity domains of the model membranes of total lipids (SPMVTL) and phospholipids (SPMVPL) extracted from synaptosomal plasma membrane vesicles. At 37˚C, all anisotropy (r), limiting anisotropy (r_∞), and order parameter (S) values of DPH in the SPMVTL were larger than those in SPMVPL. The anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the inner monolayer were 0.025, 0.033, and 0.070, respectively, greater than calculated for the outer monolayer of SPMVTL. In SPMVPL, the anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the inner monolayer were 0.014, 0.018, and 0.047, respectively, greater than calculated for the outer monolayer. Selective quenching of DPH by trinitrophenyl groups was also utilized to examine the effects of barbiturates on the transbilayer fluidity domains of SPMVTL and SPMVPL. Barbiturates did not affect the anisotropy of DPH in the transbilayer domains of SPMVTL. In contrast, barbiturates increased the fluorescence anisotropy, limiting anisotropy, and order parameter of DPH in the SPMVPL in a dose-dependent manner. Barbiturates showed a greater ordering effect on the outer monolayer as compared to the inner monolayer of SPMVPL. Hence, it has been demonstrated for the first time that the Sheetz-Singer hypothesis (1974) may be valid for phospholipid model membranes.