Abstract: This disclosure provides improved methods for obtaining populations of dopaminergic neurons from pluripotent stem cells. The process involves taking a population of neural precursor cells derived from a line of human embryonic stem cells, and culturing the cells in a medium that contains a neurotrophin, either cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) or a compound that elevates intracellular cAMP levels, and optionally an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid. Cell populations have been obtained that contain a high proportion of cells staining for tyrosine hydroxylase, which is a feature of dopaminergic neurons. The neural progenitors and terminally differentiated neurons of this invention can be generated in large quantities for use in drug screening and the treatment of clinically important neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.