Lidocaine's influence on brain amines in mice.

This series of experiments suggests that a relationship exists between convulsive doses of lidocaine and central depletion of 5-HT and DA. Since DA and usually 5-HT are regarded as central inhibitory transmitters, this study further supports the postulate that lidocaine's convulsive activity is by inhibition of central inhibitory pathways-possibly a dopaminergic or tryptaminergic pathway or both.