The effects of total brain ischemia (decapitation) on striatal extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) and ascorbic acid (AA) in chloral hydrate anesthetized rats were monitored at 1-min intervals by differential normal pulse voltammetry (DNPV) with numerical deconvolution of the catechol peak. Changes in pH were assessed by the shift of AA oxidation potential and incorporated into the computational procedure. The AA peak showed a sharp, short-lived (less than 15 min) postdecapitation rise, followed by a slower secondary increase. The DA signal increased 100-fold in the first 20 min followed by a slow decline. DOPAC levels fell 80% within 15 min after death. The post-mortem changes in extracellular DA and DOPAC were verified by a similar experiment using microdialysis. These observations probably reflect massive release and impaired uptake of DA combined with reduced monoamine oxidase activity. Changes in membrane permeability to DOPAC as a consequence of a post-mortem drop in pH may also contribute to the decline in extracellular DOPAC levels.