In the present study procaine is administered to alcoholics, children of alcoholics and normal controls. In addition, the patient groups will be separated into those with and without panic attacks. Mood changes have been diverse, ranging from euphoria to dysphoria. Bipolar patients tended to experience more physical symptoms, while patients with borderline personality showed dysphoria both at baseline and after procaine. Procaine also increased plasma ACTH, cortisol and prolactin, but not growth hormone. Because procaine selectively stimulates the temporal lobes of the brain, these findings suggest that the mood changes may originate in this area of the brain. These studies have also shown that the procedure is safe and not excessively stressful to patients.
