β-mercaptoethanol can induce adult adipose-derived stromal cells to rapidly and efficiently differentiate into typical neuron-like cells in vitro. Immunohistochemistry showed that neuron specific enolase and neurofilament-200 expression gradually increased with the extension of induction time, and peaked at 5 hours. By contrast, glial fibrillary acidic protein was negatively expressed at all time points. Induced cells possessed a typical Nissl body, apoptosis showing condensed chromatin in the nucleus, autophagosomes with a bilayered membrane and autolysosomes in the cytoplasm at 5 hours. TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence demonstrated that apoptosis and caspase-3 expression increased and peaked at 8 hours. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence showed that microtubule- associated protein light chain 3 gradually increased with induction and reached a peak at 5 hours. These results indicate that autophagy played an important role in protecting cells during adult adipose-derived stromal cells differentiation into neuron-like cells in vitro.