Surgery of brain injury was established in rats with medial frontal cortex lesion or acute cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Learning and memory deficits were induced. These rats can be served as the animal model of dementia. Intraperitoneal injection of 654-2 (30 mg/kg per day) started from the day of surgery until a total of 10 shots were given. We first reported that 654-2 improved the deficits of learning and memory in avoidance response of rats after the two types of brain damage. Further more, the results showed that 654-2 enhanced SOD activity and inhibited the elevation of superoxides (MDA) in forebrain of cortex-lesioned rats. results suggest that 654-2 probably has the effect of protection of the brain cell against the injury of free radicals.