1 The effect of the putative 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor antagonists, methysergide, methergoline, mianserin, cyproheptadine, cinanserin (all at 10 mg/kg), methiothepin (5 mg/kg) and (-)-propranolol (20 mg/kg) on the behavioural responses to tranylcypromine (10 mg/kg) followed 30 min later by L-tryptophan (100 mg/kg) was examined. 2 Methysergide, methergoline, methiothepin and (-)-propranolol inhibited head weaving, forepaw_jreading and hind-limb abduction. Methysergide and methergoline increased reactivity. In contrast, cypropheptadine, cinanserin and mianserin had no effects on the behaviour. 3 Similar findings were obtained when the behaviours were elicited by administration of tranylcypromine (10 mg/kg) followed by the putative 5-HT receptor agonist, 5-methoxy-N,Ndimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT) (2 mg/kg). 4 When the behaviours were elicited by the putative 5-HT receptor agonist, quipazine (50 mg/kg), all the drugs effectively inhibited head weaving and forepaw treading. 5 When the dose of cypropheptadine was doubled to 20 mg/kg an inhibition of the tranylcypromine/L-tryptophan induced behaviours was seen. 6 Methiothepin produced a marked inhibition of apomorphine-induced locomotor activity whilst all the others enhanced this response, suggesting that only methiothepin inhibits the 5-HT behaviours by dopamine antagonism and that the increased reactivity seen following tranylcypromine/L-tryptophan after pretreatment with methysergide or methergoline might be due to enhanced dopamine function. 7 Pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine resulted in enhanced behavioural responses to both 5-MeODMT and quipazine. 8 Both methergoline and methiothepin decreased the rate of 5-HT synthesis in whole brain but not spinal cord and methergoline decreased spinal cord 5-HIAA concentration. None of the other drugs had any significant effects on the concentration of 5-HT, 5-HIAA or 5-HT synthesis rate in brain or spinal cord. 9 Experiments with compounds structurally related to quipazine and with molecular models suggested that quipazine produces behavioural changes probably by stimulating the 5-HT receptor in a similar way to 5-HT but that it would bind weakly, in agreement with ligand-receptor binding studies. 10 It is suggested, therefore, that cyproheptadine, cinanserin and mianserin fail to inhibit 5-HT and 5-MeODMT-induced behaviours because they are weak antagonists whilst they are able to inhibit the same behaviours induced by quipazine because it is a weak agonist. 11 These data indicate that extreme care should be taken in accepting or rejecting 5-HT as a mediator of behaviours or of other responses unless several antagonists or agonists have been examined.