Effects of adenosine (Ado) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) on the membrane potential and synaptic transmission in neurons of the rat locus coeruleus (LC) were examined, in vitro. Ado (30-300 microM) produced a hyperpolarizing response and inhibited spontaneous firing activity in neurons of the rat LC. Ado decreased input resistance of LC neurons. The Ado-induced hyperpolarization reversed polarity near the equilibrium potential of K+ (EK). Ado (100-300 microM) depressed both excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) and inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP). Ado (300 microM) did not alter the hyperpolarization induced by norepinephrine (30 microM). N6-Cyclopentyladenosine (CPA, 100 microM), an A1 receptor agonist, also produced a hyperpolarizing response and depressed both the EPSP and IPSP. Another A1 receptor agonist, adenosine amine congener (ADAC, 30 microM) also produced a hyperpolarizing response and consistently depressed the EPSP and IPSP. Application of ATP (100 microM) to LC neurons caused a depolarizing response associated with an increase in the firing rate of spontaneous action potential in LC neurons. The ATP-induced depolarization was accompanied by an increased input resistance and reversed polarity at--91 mV. ATP (100 microM) consistently depressed the IPSP, while it did not change the amplitude of the EPSP in a majority of neurons. alpha, beta-Methylene ATP (alpha, beta-meATP, 30 micro/M), a P2 receptor agonist, mimicked these effects of ATP. Adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imido) triphosphate (AMP-PNP, 100 microM), a non-metabolizable analogue of ATP, produced a depolarizing response in LC neurons, but it produced no obvious depression of the EPSP and IPSP. These results suggest that Ado and ATP cause inhibitory and excitatory modulation, respectively, of neuronal activity and synaptic transmission in the rat LC.