Most of the current evidence for the impact of piracetam on memory consolidation originates from animal and human studies. However, the exact mechanism that underlies memory improvement is yet to be determined. The effects of piracetam pre-treatment on scopolamine induced cognitive dysfunction was examined. In the elevated plus maze, piracetam administration protected against the deterioration of short-term and long-term memory in scopolamine treated rats. Molecular experiments from tissue homogenate of cerebral cortex and hippocampus indicated that the marked decrease of the reduced glutathione activity in scopolamine treated rats was prevented by the use of piracetam Taken together, the current study suggests that piracetam protects learning and memory impairment induced by scopolamine through restoring the anti-oxidant activity into the normal level.