Chapman Rhea, Najima Sarasa, Tylinski Sant'Ana Thaisa, Lee Christy Chi Kiu, Filice Francesco, Babineau Jessica, Mollayeva Tatyana
KITE Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, 550 University Avenue 11th Floor, Rm 11-183, Toronto, ON, M5G 2A2, Canada.
Biology Department, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
Biomed Eng Online. 2025 Mar 12;24(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s12938-025-01354-z.
With the explosion of techniques for recording electrical brain activity, our recognition of neurodiversity has expanded significantly. Yet, uncertainty exists regarding sex differences in electrical activity during sleep and whether these differences, if any, are associated with social parameters. We synthesised existing evidence applying the PROGRESS-Plus framework, which captures social parameters that may influence brain activity and function.
We searched five databases from inception to December 2024, and included English language peer-reviewed research examining sex differences in electrical activity during sleep in healthy participants. We performed risk of bias assessment following recommended criteria for observational studies. We reported results on sex differences by wave frequency (delta, theta, alpha, sigma, beta, and gamma) and waveforms (spindle and sawtooth), positioning results across age-related developmental stages. We created visualizations of results linking study quality and consideration of PROGRESS-Plus parameters, which facilitated certainty assessment.
Of the 2,783 unique citations identified, 28 studies with a total of 3,374 participants (47% male, age range 4-5 months to 101 years) were included in data synthesis. Evidence of high certainty reported no sex differences in alpha and delta relative power among participants in middle-to-late adulthood. Findings of moderate certainty suggest no sex differences in alpha power; and theta, sigma and beta relative power; and delta density. There is evidence of moderate certainty suggesting that female participants had a steeper delta wave slope and male participants had greater normalized delta power. Evidence that female participants have higher spindle power density is of low certainty. All other findings were regarded as very low in certainty. The PROGRESS-Plus parameters were rarely integrated into the methodology of studies included in this review.
Evidence on the topic of sex differences in sleep wave parameters is variable. It is possible that the reported results reflect unmeasured social parameters, instead of biological sex. Future research on sex differences in sleep should be discussed in relevance to functional or clinical outcomes. Development of uniform testing procedures across research settings is timely.
CRD42022327644.
Canada Research Chairs (Neurological Disorders and Brain Health, CRC-2021-00074); UK Pilot Award for Global Brain Health Leaders (GBHI ALZ UK-23-971123).
随着记录脑电活动技术的激增，我们对神经多样性的认识有了显著扩展。然而，关于睡眠期间电活动的性别差异以及这些差异（如果存在）是否与社会参数相关仍存在不确定性。我们应用PROGRESS-Plus框架综合现有证据，该框架涵盖了可能影响脑活动和功能的社会参数。
我们检索了从建库至2024年12月的五个数据库，纳入了对健康参与者睡眠期间电活动性别差异进行研究的英文同行评审研究。我们按照观察性研究的推荐标准进行偏倚风险评估。我们按波频率（δ波、θ波、α波、σ波、β波和γ波）和波形（纺锤波和锯齿波）报告性别差异结果，并在与年龄相关的发育阶段呈现结果。我们创建了将研究质量与PROGRESS-Plus参数考量相联系的结果可视化图，这有助于确定性评估。
在识别出的2783篇独特文献中，28项研究（共3374名参与者，47%为男性，年龄范围4至5个月至101岁）被纳入数据综合分析。高确定性证据表明，成年中后期参与者的α波和δ波相对功率不存在性别差异。中等确定性的研究结果表明，α波功率、θ波、σ波和β波相对功率以及δ波密度不存在性别差异。有中等确定性证据表明，女性参与者的δ波斜率更陡，男性参与者的标准化δ波功率更大。女性参与者纺锤波功率密度更高的证据确定性较低。所有其他研究结果的确定性都被认为非常低。PROGRESS-Plus参数很少被纳入本综述所纳入研究的方法中。
关于睡眠波参数性别差异这一主题的证据存在差异。报告的结果可能反映了未测量的社会参数，而非生物学性别。未来关于睡眠性别差异的研究应结合功能或临床结果进行讨论。及时制定跨研究环境的统一测试程序很有必要。
PROSPERO注册号：CRD42022327644。
加拿大研究主席（神经疾病与脑健康，CRC-2021-00074）；英国全球脑健康领导者试点奖（GBHI ALZ UK-23-971123）。
