The monoclonal antibody bd-17, which recognizes the beta 2 and beta 3-subunits of GABAA/benzodiazepine receptors, was used to determine the cellular and subcellular localization of receptor-like immunoreactivity in the superficial gray layer of the rat superior colliculus. In numerous dendrites, very strong immunostaining was present in the cytoplasm and on the postsynaptic dendritic membrane of synaptic junctions. The extrasynaptic portion of the dendritic membrane also very often showed [beta 2 + beta 3]-like immunoreactivity. However, due to methodological limitations, it could not be stated with certainty whether presynaptic beta 2- and beta 3-subunits of GABAA/benzodiazepine receptors actually occur in this mesencephalic visual structure. In conclusion, these results strongly suggest that synaptic and non-synaptic GABAA/benzodiazepine receptors are present in the superficial gray layer of the rat superior colliculus. These receptors may modulate neuronal cell activity in different ways, depending on their location.