Taken together, these findings suggest that this novel protocol based on defined medium of cell culture provides—with good approximation to the in vivo conditions—a significant enrichment/selection in mature and NGF-responsive cholinergic neurons of septal basal forebrain populations, representing thus a unique and relevant in vitro AD-relevant model to study the alteration in NGF/TrkA signaling occurring in the vulnerable affected population at pre-symptomatic prodromal stages of disorder. The gene discussed is NTRK1; the disease is Alzheimer disease.