Polysomnography parameters in typically development and neuropsychiatric children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The scarcity of normative polysomnographic (PSG) parameters in typically developing (TD) children and adolescents, as well as those with neuropsychiatric disorders, limits sleep research and clinical management. This study aimed to characterize PSG parameters in TD participants from infancy to 18 years and compare them with those observed in pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. Data were extracted from 135 publications in the Scopus database citing the AASM 2007 scoring manual and subsequent versions, involving 7015 TD children and 3421 neuropsychiatric participants. Among TD children, total sleep time (TST) was 459.44 min, and sleep efficiency (SE) was 87.87%; the proportions of N1, N2, and SWS were 4.94%, 46.73%, and 27.14%, respectively. With increasing age, sleep onset latency (SOL) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) decreased, while SWS and REM increased. SE and N2 were positively correlated with age. Neuropsychiatric children, particularly those with epilepsy, Down syndrome, and autism, showed significant differences in SE. These findings provide a comprehensive profile of PSG parameters in TD children, useful for the differential diagnosis and clinical management of neuropsychiatric disorders.