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Polysomnography

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

Synonyms

Polysomnogram; Sleep study

Definition

Polysomnography is the simultaneous recording of numerous physiological signals during attempted sleep, including activity of the brain, heart, eyes, and muscles. Polysomnography is considered the gold standard for the objective assessment of sleep and diagnosis of many clinical sleep disorders.

Description

Polysomnography (PSG), termed as such because of the multiple physiological signals that are recorded during attempted sleep, has been employed for the characterization of sleep/wake status since the early 1900s. Measurement of brain electrical activity, or electroencephalography (EEG), is the primary physiological signal assessed during PSG. Concurrent measurement of eye movement (electrooculography, or EOG), submentalis muscle activity (electromyography, or EMG), and cardiac activity (electrocardiography, or ECG) is essential for the discrimination of specific stages of sleep. Besides the basic recording montage of EEG, EOG, EMG, and...

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References and Further Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Christopher E. Kline

Authors
  1. Christopher E. Kline
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher E. Kline .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Martica H. Hall

  2. BioFrontiers Center, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA

    Michele L. Okun

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Kline, C.E. (2020). Polysomnography. In: Gellman, M.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_825

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_825

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-39901-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-39903-0

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