Polysomnography parameters in typically development and neuropsychiatric children: A systematic review and

Zhi-Bo Zhang1, Yong-Bo Zheng2, Si-Zhen Su1

  • 1Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit (No.2018RU006), Peking University, Beijing, China.

Sleep Medicine Reviews
|April 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

This study establishes normative sleep patterns in typically developing children and adolescents using polysomnography (PSG). These findings aid in diagnosing sleep disorders in pediatric neuropsychiatric conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Normative polysomnographic (PSG) data for typically developing (TD) children and adolescents are scarce.
  • This limits sleep research and clinical management for pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize PSG parameters in TD participants from infancy to 18 years.
  • To compare these parameters with those in pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of 135 publications from the Scopus database citing AASM scoring manuals.
  • Inclusion of data from 7015 TD children and 3421 neuropsychiatric participants.

Main Results:

  • TD children: Total Sleep Time (TST) 459.44 min, Sleep Efficiency (SE) 87.87%.
  • Age-related changes: Decreased Sleep Onset Latency (SOL) & Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO); Increased Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) & REM sleep.
  • Neuropsychiatric children (epilepsy, Down syndrome, autism) showed significant SE differences.

Conclusions:

  • Provides a comprehensive profile of PSG parameters in TD children.
  • Offers valuable reference for differential diagnosis and clinical management of pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders.

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