The technique of drug discrimination was used to examine the ability of the highly selective α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist ethoxy idazoxan, which has negligible affinity for α( 1)-adrenoceptors or I(2) imidazoline receptors, to produce an interoceptive discriminable stimulus or cue in rats. Rats were trained to respond on one lever after receiving α-ethoxy idazoxan (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and on the opposite lever after saline vehicle. The ethoxy idazoxan cue appeared to be mediated by antagonists of central α(2)-adrenoceptors, on the basis that dose- related substitution was produced by the highly selective α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists idazoxan (imidazoline), fluparoxan and 1-(2-pyrimidinyl) piperazine (1-PP) (both non-imidazoline) but not by clonidine, which acts as an agonist at this receptor, nor by the peripherally acting α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist L659,066. However, the α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonists yohimbine and atipamezole showed partial and non-dose-dependent substitution for ethoxy idazoxan over a wide range of doses. 2-BFI [2-(2-benzfuranyl)-2-imidazoline, RX801077], an imidazoline which is highly selective for I(2) imidazoline receptors over α(2)-adrenoceptors, showed dose- dependent substitution for ethoxy idazoxan, although the maximum effect (73% responding on the ethoxy idazoxan lever) fell short of criteria adopted for full substitution. Among other agents which bind to I(2) receptors, only idazoxan and 2-phenyl-2-imidazoline exhibited significant substitution; cirazoline could only be tested at very low doses because it powerfully inhibited responding in general, probably due to its α(1)-adrenoceptor agonist properties. It is suggested that the ability of 2-BFI to substitute partially for ethoxy idazoxan might be due to the ability of both agents to increase extracellular concentrations of noradrenaline.