SKF83959, a recently identified selective agonist of putative phosphoinositide-linked (PI-linked) D(1) dopamine (DA) receptor, is found to elicit excellent anti-parkinsonism effects in monkeys and rodents. In the present study, the effects of SKF83959 on L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia (LID) were assessed in a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD). The results indicated that chronic L-DOPA (6 mg/kg) induced a progressive dyskinesia-like behavior in PD rats, whereas SKF83959 (0.5 mg/kg) elicited significantly less severe dyskinesia while exerts its anti-parkinsonian action effectively. Application of D(1) receptor, but not D(2), alpha or 5-HT receptor antagonist attenuated SKF83959-induced dyskinesia, indicating that a D(1) receptor-mediated events, assumed via PI-linked D(1) receptor. Interestingly, chronic co-administration of SKF83959 significantly reduced LID at no expanse of reduction in the anti-parkinsonian potency in PD rats. However, this anti-dyskinesia effect was not observed while SKF83959 was acutely administered in rats with established LID. This implies that chronic SKF83959 attenuated the development of dyskinesia. Immediate early gene FosB is previously reported to positively associate with dyskinesia. However, we found that the anti-dyskinesia effect of chronic SKF83959 was independent of FosB since SKF83959 produced stronger FosB expression in the lesioned striatum than that of L-DOPA while exerting its anti-dyskinesia action. The present data demonstrated that SKF83959 reduces LID by attenuating the development of dyskinesia; the underlying signaling pathway for the anti-dyskinesia action of SKF83959 appears not to depend on FosB.