Backgrand Dopamine plays an important role in learning,arousal, mental activity and motor function, but recent studies found that dopaminergic neurons in central nervous system were also involved in the process of general anesthesia and emergence from general anesthesia, but the mechanism is still unclear. Objective To investigate the arousal mechanism of dopamine involved in emergence from general anesthesia. Content This article summarizes the function, projection and distribution of dopaminergic neurons in the central nervous system, and summarizes the mechanisms involved in the recovery of consciousness after general anesthesia. Trend Dopaminergic neurons are involved in the recovery from general anesthesia, which may point out the way for the study and interpretation of the mechanism of the recovery of general anesthesia.