Riluzole does not affect hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spatial memory, which are impaired by diazepam in rats.

We have previously demonstrated that riluzole has anxiolytic-like effects in rats, without affecting spontaneous alternation performance in the Y-maze test. However, the effects of riluzole on hippocampal synaptic plasticity were still unclear. In this study, we showed that bath application of riluzole did not impair long-term potentiation and long-term depression, whereas a benzodiazepine anxiolytic, diazepam, significantly impaired them. Furthermore, the acquisition of spatial memory in the Morris water maze test was impaired in diazepam-treated but not riluzole-treated rats. We thus provide further evidence for the potential usefulness of riluzole as an anxiolytic that does not cause amnesia.