Iodobenzamide (IBZM) and iodolisuride (ILIS), which belong to different chemical families, are two radioligands used for SPECT imaging of dopamine D2 receptors. We have compared their cerebral biodistribution in control rats and their ability to detect quantitative modifications of D2 receptors in experimental models. IBZM and ILIS have a similar cerebral distribution in vivo in control rats and permitted the detection of upregulation of striatal dopamine D2 receptors in a model of chronic haloperidol treatment. Moreover, we observed that 1 h after injection of a saturating dose of haloperidol, IBZM uptake was 72% displaced from the striatum, while ILIS uptake was 50% displaced. In an experimental model of excitotoxic striatal lesion, the in vivo accumulation of IBZM was 30% decreased on the lesioned side, in agreement with a decrease in dopamine D2 receptor density. By contrast, the accumulation of ILIS was identical in the lesioned and in the intact striatum. From the results, it appears that IBZM and ILIS, which are both used to image dopamine D2 receptors in vivo, behave differently in pathological experimental models. The ligand for human exploration should then be chosen according to the suspected pathology.