Anesthesia can be linked to temporary confusion and memory problems, and in some people it can be linked to longer-lasting thinking changes, but the sources do not say it always causes permanent memory loss. In older adults, postoperative delirium can start a few days after surgery and usually goes away in about a week. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, or POCD, means thinking and memory changes that can last weeks to months after anesthesia.

The risk is higher in some groups. The sources say the highest-risk groups are children under 3 and adults over 65. They also say risk goes up with longer exposure, repeated doses, and use of multiple anesthetic drugs. In children, studies found no difference in IQ after a single exposure, but some studies found small behavior or executive function changes, especially with multiple exposures.

So the short answer is: yes, anesthesia can be associated with memory and thinking changes, but most effects are temporary, and the sources do not show that it causes memory loss in everyone. Verify the exact plan with your surgical or anesthesia team in case they want something different for you.