VEGF (>10 ng/ml) stimulated 5-bromo-2a-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) incorporation into cells that expressed immature neuronal marker proteins and increased cell number in cultures by 20–30%.;Here we report that VEGF(165) has neurotrophic actions on cultured adult mouse superior cervical ganglia (SCG) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG), measured as axonal outgrowth.;VEGF was found to stimulate axonal outgrowth from DRG, both by an action on the growing axons and the nerve cell bodies.