Abstract: The effect of general anesthetics (GA) on the developing brain has been a research hotspot in the last two decades. Numerous studies have shown that GA could damage the developing brain and cause long-term cognitive impairment in the preclinical setting, while it remains controversial in the clinical context regarding this topic. In light of the limitations of directly translating the preclinical findings into clinical context, drawbacks of retrospective studies, lack of standard behavioral and mental assessing tools in clinical studies, and other confounding factors, it is difficult to gain an agreement on the issue. To improve the repeatability and persuasion of data in the field of GA-induced developing brain, we tried to integrally analyze the current status and progress of the topic and make it as reference for the related studies in the future. 

Key words: general anesthetics, developing brain, neurotoxicity, apoptosis