This study reports the effects of the antioxidant sodium benzoate (SB) on iminodipropionitrile (IDPN)-induced excitation with choreiform and circling (ECC) syndrome in adult female Wistar rats. Rats in four different groups (n=8) received i.p. injections of SB (0, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) daily for 10 days. IDPN (100 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered daily 30 min before SB for the first 8 days. Two additional groups served as control (vehicle) and SB alone (200 mg/kg) groups. The animals were observed daily for neurobehavioral abnormalities, including dyskinetic head movements, circling, tail hanging, righting reflex and contact inhibition of the righting reflex, characterized as the ECC syndrome. In the IDPN-alone treated group, the onset of ECC syndrome occurred on day 9 (2 out of 8 rats), whereas none of the animals treated with IDPN plus SB (100 or 200 mg/kg) showed any signs of ECC syndrome on that day. All the animals in the IDPN-alone group developed severe dyskinesia on day 11. Treatment of rats with SB significantly and dose-dependently attenuated IDPN-induced behavioral deficits.