There is currently controversy regarding the effect of anesthetic agents in the pediatric population, due to reports that have been published in recent years that they could produce neurodevelopmental alterations. It has been demonstrated in laboratory animals that exposure to most general anesthetics leads to neurotoxicity manifested by neuronal cell death and abnormal behavior and cognition. Large cohort studies in humans have demonstrated an association between general anesthesia received at an early age and later neurodevelopmental deficits; in contrast, others have found no evidence of association.