Most preclinical reasearches show that gestational and neonatal exposure to inhaled anaesthetics are deleterious to the immature brain. Neuronal apoptosis, influence on neurogenesis, impacts on synaptogenesis and axon guidance, glial cell impairment, neuroinflammation, cytosolic Ca2+ overload and mitochondrial dysfunction are the possible mechanisms. There are differences in neurotoxicity between the inhaled anaesthetics, but no reasearch can tell which of them is better than others. While other reasearches suggest the neuroprection effect of inhaled anaesthetics under some special circumstances such as hypoxia-ischemia brain injury. Inhibit cerebral metabolic rate, inhibit NMDA receptors activation, inhibit glutamate receptors and activate protective signaling molecules such as nitric oxidase synthase and Akt are the possible mechanisms. It is still unclear whether inhalational anaesthetics are toxic to the immatrue brain or not, and more studies are required to detect the mechanisms of inhalational anaesthetic-induced neurotoxicity or neuroprotection in the immatrue brain.