Objective To investigate the therapeutical effect of BQ-123 on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats, and explore the mechanisms. Methods Totally 160 male SD rats were divided into 5 groups: sham operation (sham) group, SAH group, Rapamycin group, low-dosage and high-dosage BQ-123 groups. The animal models were established by injecting the autologous blood into cisterna magna twice. Optical microscopy was used to observe the morphological changes of neurons in the hippocampi at each time point. The expressions of mTOR, Beclin-1 and LC3-II proteins in the hippocampi of the rats were detected with immunohistochemistry. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR), Beclin-1 and LC3. The grip experiment was used to evaluate the forelimb grip of the rats at each time point and the shuttle-box experiment was used to evaluate the ability of learning. Results Compared with the sham group, the expressions of mTOR, Beclin-1 and LC3 mRNAs increased and the number of alive nerve cells descreased in the hippocampi, the measured grip scores and the ability of learning significantly declined in the SAH group (P < 0.05). Compared with the SAH group, the expression of mTOR mRNA in the hippocampi decreased, the expressions of Beclin-1 mRNA and LC3 mRNA in the hippocampi increased, and the number of alive neurons increased, and the measured grip scores and the ability of learning increased in the Rapamycin group (P < 0.05). The expression of mTOR mRNA in the hippocampi decreased, the expressions of Beclin-1 mRNA and LC3 mRNA in the hippocampi and the number of alive nerve cells increased, the measured grip scores and the ability of learning also increased in the BQ-123 group (P < 0.05). Conclusions BQ-123 can improve neurological function after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats, which is related to inhibition of mTOR activation and increase of neuron autophagy in the hippocampi.