Studies were conducted to assess whether stimulation of dopamine receptors located in the globus pallidus might play a role in mediating the enhanced pallidal activity seen after systemic administration of dopamine agonists or D-amphetamine. Dopamine, applied iontophoretically, had modest effects on the activity of pallidal neurons; the baseline firing rates of 32% of cells recorded increased by an average of 23 +/- 2%, 18% decreased in rate and the remaining cells showed no significant rate change. More significantly, dopamine consistently attenuated the inhibitory actions of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the globus pallidus. When dopamine was simultaneously iontophoresed with GABA, GABA's effectiveness at inhibiting pallidal activity was reduced by an average of 50%. Norepinephrine or acetylcholine, applied iontophoretically at equimolar concentrations and ejected at the same current as dopamine, caused no consistent attenuation of pallidal responses to GABA's rate effects. To determine whether the attenuation of GABA's inhibitory action by iontophoresed dopamine could be mimicked by systemic drug administration, apomorphine, 80 micrograms/kg, or D-amphetamine, 0.8 mg/kg, was given i.v. while GABA was iontophoresed. Apomorphine markedly decreased pallidal responses to the inhibitory effects of GABA in 75% of the cells by an average of 50%; haloperidol reversed this effect. Modulatory interactions between GABA and D-amphetamine were also observed in 5 of the 11 pallidal cells tested; GABA's inhibitory effect on pallidal cell activity was reduced by an average of 66% on these neurons. These results suggest that one way in which dopamine and dopamine agonists may affect basal ganglia function is by modulating GABAergic transmission in the globus pallidus.