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Flexor digitorum superficialis muscular activity is more reliable than mentalis muscular activity for rapid eye movement sleep without atonia quantification

Sleep. 2021 Apr 12:zsab094. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsab094. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate interrater reliability for artefact correction in the context of semi-automated quantification of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RWA) in the mentalis and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscles.

METHODS: We included video-polysomnographies of 14 subjects with apnea-hypopnea-index in REM sleep (AHIREM)<15/h and 11 subjects with AHIREM≥15/h. Eight subjects had isolated REM sleep behavior disorder. A validated algorithm (www.osg.be) automatically scored phasic and “any” EMG activity in the mentalis muscle, and phasic EMG activity in the FDS muscles. Four independent expert scorers performed artefact correction according to the SINBAR (Sleep Innsbruck Barcelona) recommendations. Interrater reliability for artefact correction was computed with B-statistics. The variability across scorers of four RWA indices (phasic mentalis, “any” mentalis, phasic FDS and SINBAR – i.e. “any” mentalis and/or phasic FDS – EMG activity indices) was computed. With Friedman tests we compared B-statistics obtained for mentalis and FDS muscles, and the variability of the RWA indices. Influence of AHIREM and RBD diagnosis on the RWA indices variability was evaluated with linear regressions.

RESULTS: Interrater reliability for artefact correction was higher in the FDS than in the mentalis muscle (p<0.001). Phasic FDS activity was minimally affected by artefacts. Accordingly, the phasic FDS EMG activity index had the lowest variability across scorers (p<0.001). Variability across scorers of the RWA indices including the mentalis muscle increased with AHIREM and was independent from RBD diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Due to the consistently found low number of artefacts, phasic FDS activity is a reliable measure of RWA.

PMID:33842971 | DOI:10.1093/sleep/zsab094

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