Objective: To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of different doses of nerve growth factor(NGF) pretreatment on neuron apoptosis and the expressions of the apoptosis-related protein, Bcl-2 and Bax, in the gerbil cerebral prefrontal cortex following global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R) injury. Methods: Fifty-four gerbils were randomly divided into five groups, group C: sham operation(n = 6); group I/R(n = 12), group L(n = 12): low-dose NGF+I/R, group M(n = 12): medium-dose NGF+I/R and group H (n = 12): high-dose NGF+I/R. Groups I/R, L , M and H were further divided into 2 subgroups according to the duration of reperfusion(24 h and 72 h). The global cerebral I/R injury model was induced by bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 20 min, followed by removal of the clamps to permit reperfusion. In groups L, M and H, NGF was injected into the lateral ventricle 24 h prior to ischemia. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling(TUNEL) and immunohis-tochemical staining were performed to detect neuron apoptosis and the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax protein in the cerebral cortex, respectively. Results: In the I/R group and NGF pretreatment groups(L, M and H groups), reperfusion for 72 h caused higher percentages of both neurons exhibiting apoptosis and Bax positive cells(P < 0.01), but lower percentages of Bcl-2 positive cells compared with the corresponding 24 h reperfusion groups(P < 0.05). All NGF pretreatment groups exhibited lower percentages of neurons exhibiting apoptosis and Bax positive cells but a higher percentage of Bcl-2 positive-cells relative to the I/R group(P < 0.01). Moreover, the high-dose NGF pretreatment group had a greater decreased neuronal apoptosis and Bax protein expression and increased Bcl-2 protein expression than either the low-or medium-dose groups. Conclusion: Neuron apoptosis participates in the progression of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The protective effect of NGF pretreatment against ischemia-reperfusion-induced neuron apoptosis seems to be both time- and dose-dependent. This anti-apoptosis mechanism may be associated with upregulation of Bcl-2 protein expression and downregulation of Bax protein expression.