The contractility of isolated rat atria, suspended in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium containing 5.5mM glucose, was depressed approximately 50% by 0.1 mM of lidocaine. Partial recovery of the lidocaine-depressed contractility was achieved by the metabolizable substrates pyruvate, acetate, and fructose, but not by addition of glucose. Glucose produced the dose-dependent increase in the force of contraction of normal atria, whereas pyruvate, acetate, and fructose produced no significant effect in the contractile activity of the normal atria. In the absence of exogenous glucose lidocaine produced more marked depression of atrial contractility than that in the presence of exogenous glucose. The results of this study may confirm that the utilization of cardiac glycogen is also inhibited by lidocaine at sites of the glucose phosphate isomerase step or step between glycogen to glucose-6-phosphate.