Tehran University of Medical Sciences Archives of Anesthesiology and Critical Care 2423-5849 3 2 2017 04 19 324 333 EN Atabak Najafi Department of Anesthesiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sina Hospital, Hassan Abad Square, Tehran, Iran Farhad Etezadi Department of Anesthesiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sina Hospital, Hassan Abad Square, Tehran, Iran Reza Shariat Moharari Department of Anesthesiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sina Hospital, Hassan Abad Square, Tehran, Iran Pejman Pourfakhr Department of Anesthesiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sina Hospital, Hassan Abad Square, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Reza Khajavi Department of Anesthesiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Sina Hospital, Hassan Abad Square, Tehran, Iran 2017 05 24 2017 05 24 General anesthetic drugs produce extensive neuronal changes in the central nervous system by enhancing inhibitory and reducing excitatory neurotransmission. The major neurotransmitters, which are thought to play a role in anesthesia, are glutamate, serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, and GABA. The knowledge of neurotransmitters and their receptors’ function is very important in perception of anesthesia in routines practice. The purpose of this review article is to give an overview of the different types of neurotransmitters in CNS, classification of neurotransmitters and mechanism of action of various types of neurotransmitters and their receptors. https://aacc.tums.ac.ir/index.php/aacc/article/view/126 https://aacc.tums.ac.ir/index.php/aacc/article/download/126/275