The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway participates in various cell responses, such as proliferation, migration, differentiation and death. In neuronal apoptosis, the ERK pathway has been shown to have a dual role. Although the majority of studies have demonstrated the ERK pathway to have an anti-apoptotic role in neurons, pro-apoptosis induced by ERK signaling, has also been observed. The different effects of the ERK pathway may be due to the different kinds of neurons used in these studies, stimulus, interplay with other MAPK pathways and maybe other as yet unclear factors. In this review, we will summarize the role of the ERK signaling pathway in the apoptosis of neurons.