Fasciculin 2 (FAS), a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) inhibitory peptide with affinity for the enzyme in the nanomolar range was utilized together with two other AChE inhibitors (Paroxon and BW284c51) to study the role of AChE in central nervous system development. When drugs were intracisternally injected at postnatal days 3 and 5, only FAS showed a significant inhibition of hippocampus and striatum AChE (39% and 77% inhibition, respectively). After FAS treatment, animals showed convulsive behaviour which was blocked by subcutaneous pretreatment with atropine sulfate (10 mg/kg). An assessment of developmental indices showed no alteration in neurological reflex maturation, motor behaviour or cell morphology. Body weight gain was significantly lower only in FAS-treated animals compared to controls during the preweaning period. To investigate the specificity of this effect a synthetic loop of FAS (showing no activity in vitro or in vivo) and oxidized FAS (showing a weak inhibition in vitro and no activity in vivo) were also intracisternally injected. Animals injected with the loop showed normal body weight development while those treated with oxidized FAS showed impairment in body weight. In conclusion, FAS was the most potent drug at inhibiting neonatal AChE in vivo without nonspecific brain damage. Impairment in body weight seems to be dependent on AChE involvement, although the possibility of a direct FAS effect is discussed. These results point to FAS intracisternal treatment as a useful in vivo model to study the role of AChE in the critical period of early postnatal central nervous system development.