Fig. 1

Experimental flow and set up including cigarette smoke generation, animal exposure, induction of traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic assessment of motor activity. C57BL/6J mice were chronically exposed to TS (full body side stream exposure) for 3 weeks using a computer-controlled single cigarette smoking machine using the FTC approved smoking protocol. Test animals were subjected to TBI by head weight (30 g) drop from an 80-cm height through a pre-positioned vertical guide. Physical activity and weight of the mice were analyzed before TBI and at 1 h, 24 h, and 72 h after TBI using an open-field test. Finally, mice were sacrificed to collect blood and brain samples for subsequent biochemical and molecular analysis