Schematic timeline representing experimental design: Rats were subjected to 5 days training on the Barnes maze test, followed by either sham or fluid percussion injury (FPI). All animals received intraperitoneal injection (1ml/kg) of either vehicle (VEH; 30% DMSO in PBS) or 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF; 5 mg/kg, i.p.) once daily for 7 consecutive days, starting from the day of injury till 2 h prior to the memory retention test. Memory retention was tested by Barnes maze at 7 days of injury and animals were sacrificed immediately for tissue collection.