Polysomnographically measured sleep changes in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Polysomnographic studies conducted to explore sleep changes in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) have not established clear relationships between sleep disturbances and iRBD. To explore the polysomnographic differences between iRBD patients and healthy controls and their associated factors, an electronic literature search was conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE, All EBM databases, CINAHL, and PsycINFO inception to December 2019.34 studies were identified for systematic review, 33 of which were used for meta-analysis. Meta-analyses revealed significant reductions in total sleep time (SMD = -0.212, 95%CI: −0.378 to −0.046), sleep efficiency (SMD = -0.194, 95%CI: −0.369 to −0.018), apnea hypopnea index (SMD = -0.440, 95%CI: −0.780 to −0.101), and increases in sleep latency (SMD = 0.340, 95%CI: 0.074 to 0.606), and slow wave sleep (SMD = 0.294, 95%CI: 0.064 to 0.523) in iRBD patients compared with controls. Furthermore, electroencephalogram frequency components during REM sleep were altered in iRBD patients compared with controls; however, the specific changes could not be determined. Our findings suggest that polysomnographic sleep is abnormal in iRBD patients. Further studies are needed on underlying mechanisms and associations with neurodegenerative diseases.