A 7-day treatment with memantine (25 mg/kg, i.p.), a drug that is currently prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, increased the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and reduced the expression of the neuron-specific K(+)/Cl(-) co-transporter, KCC2, in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of mice. Knowing that KCC2 maintains low intracellular Cl(-) concentrations, which drive Cl(-) influx in response to GABA(A) receptor activation, we monitored the behavioural response to the GABA(A) receptor enhancer, diazepam, in mice pre-treated for 7 days with saline or 25 mg/kg of memantine. Memantine treatment substantially attenuated motor impairment induced by an acute challenge with diazepam (6 mg/kg, i.p.), as assessed by the rotarod test and the horizontal wire test. We suggest that a prolonged treatment with memantine induces changes in the activity of GABA(A) receptors that might contribute to the therapeutic and/or toxic effects of the drug.