Background and Objective: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative disorder that leads to progressive cognitive decline. The memory dysfunction of AD has been associated with a cortical cholinergic deficiency and loss of cholinergic neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM). This study investigated the effect of ethanolic extract of Cyperus rotundu tubers (CRT) on motor activity in NBM-lesioned rat model of AD and intact rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study 49 Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups. For this purpose, Wistar rats received bilateral electric lesions of the NBM. The control and sham groups received distilled water while NBM-lesioned group received CRT extract for 20 days with doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. Intact rats received CRT extract for 20 days without any surgery. The motor activity was assessed with Rotarod apparatus. Data were analyzed using one- way Anova and LSD test. Results: Use of ethanolic extract of CRT for 20 days improved motor activity in NBM-lesioned rats that received extract with a dose of 100 mg/kg. Ethanolic extract of CRT in the intact rats for 20 days significantly reduced motor activity when compared with the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that ethanolic extract of CRT is useful in NBM-induced lesion rats via inducing some changes in acetylcholine levels in the brain.