A stoichiometric analysis of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor binding was conducted using [3H]dizocilpine, [3H]dichlorokynurenic acid and [3H]CGP39653, and membranes from various brain regions of rats. The ratio of the density of [3H]CGP39653 binding to [3H]dizocilpine binding was > 1 in frontal cortex and hippocampus, approximately 1 in striatum and spinal cord and < 1 in cerebellum. When [3H]dichlorokynurenic acid binding was compared with [3H]dizocilpine binding, the ratios were > 1 in frontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum, 3-4 in cerebellum, and approximately 2 in spinal cord. These observations suggest that a single channel complex may have more than one binding site for NMDA and/or glycine and that the stoichiometry between the binding domains of the NMDA receptor varies regionally.