Abstract
The majority of the midbrain reticular neurons of the rat altered their discharge patterns synchronously with a cortical EEG spike induced by intravenous injection of pentetrazol. The patterns were classified into four types, i.e., facilitated, inhibited, mixed and unaffected types.
Intravenous lidocaine suppressed both facilitatory and inhibitory components in the firing pattern. In particular, it reversed inhibitory to facilitatory pattern in some neurons. This may support the hypothesis that local anesthetics are liable to depress some inhibitory process in the central nervous system.
