A modified filtration method for in vitro receptor binding was used to determine specific binding of [3H]naloxone to small regions of adult rat brain. Reliable determinations of ligand binding were quantified with about 50 micrograms of protein per assay tube. Large differences in [3H]naloxone binding were obtained between various brain nuclei, and these differences were consistent with prior determinations of opiate receptor densities in various rat brain nuclei using autoradiographic techniques.