The regulation of pituitary vasopressin (VP) receptor concentration was investigated in rats with antero-lateral cuts (ALC) placed around the hypothalamus, as well as in Brattleboro homozygotes (HO) that genetically suffer from a lack of AVP. Hypothalamic ALCs caused a reduction in (3H)-AVP binding, while counteracting the dramatic fall in binding that normally occurs after adrenalectomy. Surprisingly, in HO rats, long-term adrenalectomy did cause pituitary AVP receptor number to decrease to an extent similar to that seen in normal rats. However, the receptor disappeared twice as rapidly in heterozygote controls than in HO animals, with calculated half-lives of 1.1 and 2.0 days, respectively. In HO, chronic administration of VP reduced receptor concentration by about 80%, while the same dose of oxytocin (OT) produced only a 20–30% reduction. Whereas dexamethasone injections did reverse the depressing effect of adrenalectomy on pituitary AVP receptors, they failed to enhance binding in sham-operated controls, treated or not with VP; thereby suggesting a central site of action of the steroid. In contrast, in rats with hypothalamic ALCs (i.e. with the pituitary lacking central control), corticosterone implants did antagonize the reduction in receptor density caused by adrenalectomy. We conclude that the pituitary AVP receptor system lies mainly under control of the central nervous system, through a mechanism of action that not only seems to imply AVP and OT, but probably also some other hypothalamic factor(s). Glucocorticoids appear to exert a dual effect, acting indirectly through negative feedback control of neuropeptide release and, possibly, also directly on the pituitary to regulate binding site