Intracisternal administration of 200 mug of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) caused a prolonged reduction of brain serotonin which was accompanied by a depletion of brain norepinephrine. The depletion of norepinephrine was found to be antagonized by agents that inhibit uptake of norepinephrine as well as by several monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Intracisternal injections of 5,7-DHT (75 or 100 mug) to 7-day-old neonatal rats reduced brain serotonin and norepinephrine and produced a significant reduction of adult body weight. As in adults, pretreatment of neonatal rats with pargyline or desipramine prevented 5,7-DHT induced depletion of norepinephrine without affecting depletion of serotonin. Behaviorally, treatment of adult rats with 5,7-DHT facilitated acquisition of an active avoidance task and enhanced muricidal behavior. 5,7-DHT treatment was also found to enhance the depressant effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan on a fixed-ratio barpress response, suggesting that 5,7-DHT treated rats are supersensitive to serotonin in the central nervous system.