Rhythmic eupneic breathing in mammals depends on the coordinated activities of the neural
system that sends cranial and spinal motor outputs to respiratory muscles. These outputs modulate
lung ventilation and adjust respiratory airflow, which depends on the upper airway patency and venti-
latory musculature. Anesthetics are widely used in clinical practice worldwide. In addition to clinically
necessary pharmacological effects, respiratory depression is a critical side effect induced by most gen-
eral anesthetics. Therefore, understanding how general anesthetics modulate the respiratory system is
important for the development of safer general anesthetics. Currently used volatile anesthetics and
most intravenous anesthetics induce inhibitory effects on respiratory outputs. Various general anes-
thetics produce differential effects on respiratory characteristics, including the respiratory rate, tidalvolume, airway resistance, and ventilatory response. At the cellular and molecular levels, the mechanisms underlying anesthetic-induced breathing depression mainly include modulation of synaptictransmission of ligand-gated ionotropic receptors (e.g., γ-aminobutyric acid, N-methyl-D-aspartate,and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) and ion channels (e.g., voltage-gated sodium, calcium, and po-tassium channels, two-pore domain potassium channels, and sodium leak channels), which affect neu-ronal firing in brainstem respiratory and peripheral chemoreceptor areas. The present review compre-hensively summarizes the modulation of the respiratory system by clinically used general anesthetics,including the effects at the molecular, cellular, anatomic, and behavioral levels. Specifically, analgesics, such as opioids, which cause respiratory depression and the “opioid crisis”, are discussed. Finally, underlying strategies of respiratory stimulation that target general anesthetics and/or analgesics aresummarized.