We investigated the expression pattern of two immediate-early genes, zif268 and c-fos, under various visual conditions using immunohistochemical and northern blot analysis in the visual cortex of young rats. The basal expression of c-fos was low and was further reduced by dark rearing that lasted for one week. A marked and transient increase was induced upon visual stimulation applied immediately after dark rearing. Zif268 showed a relatively high basal level. Its expression was reduced by dark rearing of the animals, but returned rapidly to the basal expression level following the introduction of light. Administration of N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine, a selective noradrenergic neurotoxin, suppressed the basal expression of c-fos messenger RNA. The response of c-fos to photo-stimulation was also significantly lower in the visual cortex of N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine-treated young rats. In contrast, no significant change in zif268 expression was detected between normal and N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine-treated animals. These findings suggest that differential expression of these immediate-early genes is involved in the activity-dependent regulation of cortical function. One possibility is that the noradrenergic system controls cortical function, including plasticity, by modifying the expression of c-fos.