Summary—Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of dihydropyridine derivatives calcium channel agonist (BAY K8644) and antagonists (nifedipine, nicardipine, PN 200–110) induced opposite long‐lasting changes in blood pressure (BP) in pentobarbital anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SMR). I.c.v. nifedipine (NIF), nicardipine (NIC), and PN 200–110 decreased mean blood pressure dose‐dependently and stereoselec‐tively, (+) NIC and (+) PN being 8 and 3 times more potent than their (‐) isomers, respectively. The decrease in BP was due to a withdrawal of the sympathetic tone, since NIF‐ and NIC‐induced falls in BP were suppressed after either hexamethonium (HXM), 6 OHDA or bilateral adrenalectomy. I.c.v. BAY K8644 increased BP dose‐dependently. The i.c.v. BAY K8644‐induced hypertensive effect was inhibited: a), by NIF and (+) PN but not by (‐) PN, therefore probably occurring at central DHP sites; b), by HXM and reserpine, thus probably mediated by an increase in sympathetic tone; c), by i.c.v. methylatropine (MA) while i.v. MA and i.c.v. HXM had no inhibitory effect, thus probably involving central muscarinic sites. In SHR, NIC did not after the K+‐evoked ACh release but suppressed the BAY K8644‐induced increase in ACh release. In anesthetized normotensive control rats (WKY), neither i.c.v. NIF, NIC or BAY K8644 changed BP, nor did the latter after ACh release. Moreover, in conscious WKY, i.c.v. nicardipine increased BP and HR while, in conscious SHR it decreased BP without any change in HR. These data suggest that central DHP sites may be involved in the cholinergic transmission and may participate in genetic hype