A 46-year-old man had a smoke inhalation injury. Within 1 month, he developed neuropsychiatric problems including toxic encephalopathy, cognitive disorder, depression symptoms and personality change. From 3 to 14 years after the toxic inhalation injury, the patient received treatment with sertraline and methylphenidate. The (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan at 3 years after injury showed deterioration of glucose metabolism in the hippocampus and orbital frontal region; at 14 years after injury, the hippocampus had no significant change but the orbital frontal region had deterioration of glucose metabolism. It was hypothesised that sertraline may have provided selective hippocampal neuroprotection. Further study is justified to evaluate sertraline as a possible neuroprotective agent after smoke inhalation injury.