Citicoline, a natural compound that functions as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of cell membrane phospholipids, is essential for membrane integrity and repair. It has been reported to protect brain against trauma. This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of citicoline on closed head injury (CHI) in rats. Citicoline (250 mg/kg i.v. 30 min and 4 h after CHI) lessened body weight loss, and improved neurological functions significantly at 7 days after CHI. It markedly lowered brain edema and blood-brain barrier permeability, enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and the levels of glutathione, reduced the levels of malondialdehyde and lactic acid. Moreover, citicoline suppressed the activities of calpain, and enhanced the levels of calpastatin, myelin basic protein and alpha II-spectrin in traumatic tissue 24 h after CHI. Also, it attenuated the axonal and myelin sheath damage in corpus callosum and the neuronal cell death in hippocampal CA1 and CA3 subfields 7 days after CHI. These data demonstrate the protection of citicoline against white matter and grey matter damage due to CHI through suppressing oxidative stress and calpain over-activation, providing additional support to the application of citicoline for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.