Vitamin A and its derivatives, retinoids, are involved in the regulation of gene expression by binding to nuclear receptors families, retinoic acid receptors and retinoid x receptors. Retinoid receptor are highly expressed in the striatum revealing an involvement of this systems in the control of movement as demonstrated by previous observations in knockout mice. To further assess the role of retinoids in adult striatal function, the present study investigated the effect of vitamin A deprivation in male and female rats on motor activity and coordination. Moreover, the content of acetylcholine (ACh) in the striatum was measured in male and female rats. At parturition, dam and offspring rats received a diet lacking vitamin A, whereas a second group (controls) was fed with the same diet plus vitamin A integration (5 IU retinal/g). Results show that 12 weeks of vitamin A deprivation induced impaired motor coordination and a significant ipermotility in male rats, but, surprisingly, not in female rats. Following completion of behavioural tests, rats were killed, brain removed and striatum were dissected and collected ad –80 °C. Tissue samples were homogenized and centrifuged. The levels of ACh were detected in the supernatant by HPLC. Vitamin A deprivation induced a significant decrease in striatal ACh content in male rats with respect to controls, but no significant differences were found in female rats.