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Clinician-Focused Overview and Developments in Polysomnography
Markun LC, Sampat A.. Current sleep medicine reports, 2020-11-23
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Purpose of review Polysomnography (PSG) represents a fundamental diagnostic tool used in the evaluation of sleep disorders. It represents a simultaneous recording of sleep staging, eye movements, electromyographic tone, respiratory parameters, and electrocardiogram. It is particularly helpful in the assessment of sleep-disordered breathing and its management, propensity for excessive sleepiness, complex behaviors during sleep, including motor disturbances of sleep, sleep-related epilepsy, and parasomnias. This review is intended to summarize the indications for PSG, the limitations and challenges of this diagnostic tool, indications for home sleep apnea testing options, and new developments and trends in polysomnography. Recent findings The polysomnogram is fundamentally important in the evaluation of sleep-disordered breathing in the setting of cardiovascular comorbidities and neurologic conditions such as neuromuscular disease, stroke, and epilepsy and in the evaluation of dream enactment behavior in the setting of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Because RBD is predictive of neurodegenerative disorders, recent data highlights the importance of PSG in corroborating the diagnosis of RBD and identifying people who may be at risk. However, due to cost as well as limitations in access to care, further testing has been developed and implemented including the home sleep apnea test (HSAT). The evolution of consumer wearable devices has also been a growing trend in sleep medicine; however, few have received appropriate validation. Summary PSG has been used in both the clinical and research settings and remains the gold standard clinical diagnostic test for suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or central sleep apnea (CSA). Clinicians must be familiar with the basic indications for a PSG but also recognize when it is absolutely required. At this time, the PSG is essential in the evaluation of nocturnal hypoventilation disorders of sleep, periodic limb movements of sleep, and central nervous system hypersomnia (in the absence of CSF hypocretin) when combined with the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and is probably the only way to help differentiate among complex behaviors during sleep, especially in the setting of RBD. The capacity to establish an early diagnostic risk of potential dementia would be of critical importance once neuroprotective agents become available.
Key findings
- The evolution of consumer wearable devices has also been a growing trend in sleep medicine; however, few have received appropriate validation.
- Summary PSG has been used in both the clinical and research settings and remains the gold standard clinical diagnostic test for suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or central sleep apnea (CSA).
- Clinicians must be familiar with the basic indications for a PSG but also recognize when it is absolutely required.
- At this time, the PSG is essential in the evaluation of nocturnal hypoventilation disorders of sleep, periodic limb movements of sleep, and central nervous system hypersomnia (in the absence of CSF hypocretin) when combined with the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and is probably the only way to help differentiate among complex behaviors during sleep, especially in the setting of RBD.
- The capacity to establish an early diagnostic risk of potential dementia would be of critical importance once neuroprotective agents become available.
Why it matters
This review describes polysomnography as the gold standard for diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing and notes its importance in confirming REM sleep behavior disorder, which is predictive of neurodegenerative disorders. It is a diagnostic review and does not test any treatment, cure or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Current sleep medicine reports) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Current Sleep Medicine Reports: journal h-index 41 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 114 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.2 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 81 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Ajay Sampat: h-index 7 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of California, Davis: institution h-index 1,257 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 33251088) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s40675-020-00197-5
- PubMed: 33251088
- Original source →
- Free full text: Current Sleep Medicine Reports →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Markun, L. C., & Sampat, A. (2020). Clinician-Focused Overview and Developments in Polysomnography. Current sleep medicine reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-020-00197-5
Vancouver
Markun LC, Sampat A. Clinician-Focused Overview and Developments in Polysomnography. Current sleep medicine reports. 2020. doi:10.1007/s40675-020-00197-5. PMID: 33251088.
BibTeX
@article{markun2020-33251088,
author = {Markun, L. C. and Sampat, A.},
title = {{Clinician-Focused Overview and Developments in Polysomnography}},
journal = {Current sleep medicine reports},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1007/s40675-020-00197-5},
pmid = {33251088},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-020-00197-5}
}
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