Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of progressive dementia in the elderly, is a chronic neurological disorder that decreases cognitive ability. Although the underlying cause of AD is yet unknown, oxidative stress and brain acetylcholine shortage are the key pathogenic causes. Results: The current study shows that these derivatives have the potential to improve memory in mice by inhibiting scopolamine-induced acetylcholinesterase activity, oxidative and nitrosative stress, and improving locomotor activity and muscle grip strength in the rota rod test. When compared to the illness control, the memory-enhancing potential of novel N-benzyl pyridine-2-one derivatives was highly significant (P < 0.0001). Conclusions The observed memory ameliorating effect of novel N-benzyl pyridine-2-one makes them as a a good choice for treatment of individuals with cognitive impairment