Nerve growth factor
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein in the neurotrophin family, signals that regulate how nerve cells develop, survive and work. It was the first neurotrophin to be discovered.
Introduction
Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein in the neurotrophin family, signals that regulate how nerve cells develop, survive and work [1]. It was the first neurotrophin to be discovered, according to a 2024 history review written partly by employees of the drug company Dompé [2].
What it means in practice
Neurotrophins regulate the development, maintenance and function of the nervous systems of vertebrates [1]. They act through two classes of receptors: the Trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases and p75NTR [1].
During development, neurotrophins are made in limited amounts and work as survival factors, so that the number of nerve cells that survive matches the number needed to supply their targets [1]. They also regulate axon growth and the trimming of dendrites, the branches nerve cells use to connect [1]. In the adult nervous system, they control synaptic function and plasticity and continue to affect whether nerve cells survive [1].
NGF research grew from investigations led by Rita Levi-Montalcini, a Nobel Prize winner, according to the 2024 review, five of whose authors are employed by the drug company Dompé [2]. In 2018 the US Food and Drug Administration approved a lab-made form of human NGF, cenegermin-bkbj, for an eye disease, neurotrophic keratitis [2].
Why it matters when reading nootropics research
NGF comes up mostly in research on lion's mane mushroom. A 2023 review of cell and animal studies describes the mushroom as showing promising potential to stimulate NGF release [3]. A 2025 systematic review of cell and rodent studies reported that erinacines, compounds from the mushroom, enhanced neurogenesis and cell survival in those models [4].
Findings like these are mechanisms from cells and animals. They do not show that NGF changes in a person's brain after a supplement, or that memory or mood changes. On NootropicsWork, NGF results are labeled as mechanism, and grades are given only for outcomes measured in people, such as memory, attention or mood.
References
- Huang EJ, Reichardt LF. Neurotrophins: roles in neuronal development and function. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2001.
- Gavioli E, Mantelli F, Cesta MC, et al. The History of Nerve Growth Factor: From Molecule to Drug. Biomolecules. 2024.
- Szućko-Kociuba I, Trzeciak-Ryczek A, Kupnicka P, et al. Neurotrophic and Neuroprotective Effects of Hericium erinaceus. Int J Mol Sci. 2023.
- Spangenberg ET, Moneypenny A, Bozzo GG, et al. Unveiling the role of erinacines in the neuroprotective effects of Hericium erinaceus: a systematic review in preclinical models. Front Pharmacol. 2025.