A. Temporal variations in growth factor (GF) release remains unexplored, but it can still be utilized to study GF-induced ERK signaling and neurite differentiation. B. Step stimulation leads to peak-and-plateau type ERK response. Fast pulsatile stimulation is capable of discerning differences in the ERK activation elicited by the two GFs, viz. epidermal (EGF) and nerve (NGF) growth factors. C. (i) Temporally modulated growth factor stimulations, EGF and NGF, lead to distinct fates of neurite differentiation based on temporal regimes. Red represents no significant differentiation, while green represents the cells differentiated significantly. (ii) Experimental and mathematical analysis suggests existence of two distinct regulatory pathways for EGF (red) and NGF (blue). GF mediated differentiation can be interpreted as two different band-pass regimes for EGF (red) and NGF (blue).