A direct comparison was made of the effects of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B selective compounds on the spontaneous firing rate of dorsal raphe serotoninergic neurons in chloral-hydrate-anesthetized rats. Following intravenous administration, the 5-HT1A selective compounds ipsapirone (TVX Q 7821) and LY 165163 potently inhibited single-unit activity in a dose-dependent manner whereas the 5-HT1B selective compounds, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP), displayed only weak or irregular actions. Low microiontophoretic currents of ipsapirone and LY 165163 were also effective in suppressing spontaneous firing; dose-response relationships for the 5-HT1A compounds were indistinguishable from that of 5-HT itself. In contrast, dorsal raphe neurons were only weakly responsive to microiontophoretic application of mCPP and TFMPP; dose-response relationships for the 5-HT1B compounds were significantly displaced from that of 5-HT. In intracellular studies, ipsapirone and LY 165163, when added to the media bathing brain slices, mimicked the actions of 5-HT in hyperpolarizing dorsal raphe cell membranes and decreasing input resistance; however, the maximal effects of the 5-HT1A compounds on these membrane properties exceeded those of 5-HT. In summary, dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons appear highly responsive to 5-HT1A, but not to 5-HT1B compounds; these findings are discussed with regard to the 5-HT receptor subtypes as candidates for the somatodendritic autoreceptor of dorsal raphe neurons.