Nerve growth factor (NGF) was administered into either the lateral ventricle or into the basal forebrain of n. basalis of Meynert (nbM) lesioned rats. Rats received either continuous infusion of 5 micrograms of 7S NGF per day for 28 days, or 5 micrograms of 7S NGF on 4 occasions distributed evenly during the first two post-lesion weeks. The administration of NGF reduced lesion-induced cortical cholinergic marker deficits by approximately 50%, irrespective of the locus or mode of NGF administration. Thus NGF is able to attenuate lesion-induced cholinergic deficits across a range of treatment and lesion conditions.