A dihydroquinolinone moiety was found to be a potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor pharmacophore when combined with certain amines. This fragment was coupled with selected D-2 ligands to prepare a series of dual acting compounds with attractive in vitro profiles as dopamine D-2 partial agonists and serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Structure-activity studies revealed that the linker plays a key role in contributing to D-2 affinity, function, and SRI activity. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.