In our clinical work, we often face the question of whether anesthesia affects memory. Some people come to us and say that they or their friends and relatives have received anesthesia before, and now their memory is not as good as before, and they attribute their memory loss to the effect of anesthesia, is there any scientific basis for this? Generally speaking, anesthesia is divided into three categories: local anesthesia, regional block anesthesia and general anesthesia. Memory is the ability to recognize, retain, re-recognize and reproduce the contents and experiences reflected in objective things. The essence of short-term memory is the repetition of immediate physiological and biochemical responses of the brain, while medium- and long-term memory is the structural changes that occur within the brain cells and the establishment of fixed connections. Memory is an activity of the brain, and local and regional block anesthesia are not affecting the activity of the brain and will not have any effect on memory. General anesthesia refers to the use of various anesthesia drugs to produce a reversible inhibition of the functions of the central nervous system, so that consciousness, sensation disappears, muscle relaxation and visceral reflex activity is reduced. It is also known as “sleeping”. Although the chemical composition of general anesthetics are very different, but in the influence of neuronal activity mechanism is generally similar, and to varying degrees to block N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and activation of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor synaptic transmission, reduce neuronal excitability. A large number of animal experiments have confirmed that anesthetics have a certain degree of neurotoxicity, can cause extensive neurodegenerative changes, and can lead to prolonged behavioral and learning memory impairment, the mechanism of this damage may be through the activation of GABA receptors to make the postsynaptic membrane hyperpolarized to affect the synaptic excitability and inhibition, antagonism of NMDN receptors to reduce the concentration of extracellular glutamate or through the activation of intracellular and extracellular apoptotic pathways. apoptosis pathway. General anesthetics widely used in surgery have certain neurotoxic effects, which are manifested by the reduction of learning and memory functions, especially on the brain tissue in the developmental stage of the damage is more obvious. At present, clinical anesthesia drugs have a short duration of action, and the anesthesia process is controllable and temporary, with the metabolism and clearance of the drug in the body, its effect is also eliminated, and the effect on memory will not be too great. Surgical procedures must be performed under anesthesia, and we cannot afford to choke on it. It is important to listen to your anesthesiologist as to which type of anesthesia to choose. The anesthesiologist will choose the appropriate type of anesthesia and anesthesia drugs according to the surgery, and strive to have the least impact on the patient. In conclusion, there is generally no need to be overly concerned about the effects of general anesthesia on memory.