ReviewCurrent biology : CB2020
What Is REM Sleep?
Review in Current biology : CB, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 162 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hormonal contraceptives and the brain: A systematic review on 60 years of neuroimaging, EEG, and biochemical studies in humans and animals.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2023Pooled it
- Sensory-based interventions in the NICU: systematic review of effects on preterm brain development.Pediatric research · 2022Pooled it
- Esketamine Optimized the Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine in Treating Sleep Disorders with Comorbid Depression.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2025Trial
- The Sentinel Sleep Theory: Unweaving the biological function of REM sleep.Sleep medicine: X · 2026Article
- Stress, needs, and behaviour: understanding chronic stress in pet domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) from the prism of needs.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2026Review
- Article
- Quantifying Cortical Maturational Aspects During Different Vigilance States in Preterm Infants by Advanced EEG Analysis.Journal of sleep research · 2026Article
- Cerebellar Electrical Activity as a Marker for Predicting Brain Health and Disease: A Review.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Assessing infants' sleep in the home setting: designing rational study approaches.Pediatric research · 2026Review
- Twitching in sleeping premature infants provides a sensitive behavioral assay of early motor control.iScience · 2026Article
- REM-sleep twitching in adults and the maintenance of specialized sensorimotor systems.Current biology : CB · 2026Review
- DPP6 Loss Causes Age-Dependent Sleep Dysregulation and Depression-like Phenotypes Linked to Neurodegeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Sleep-dependent infraslow rhythms are evolutionarily conserved across reptiles and mammals.Nature neuroscience · 2026Article
- The Ontogenetic Development of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Early Life and Its Regulatory Mechanisms.International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience · 2026Review
- Objective prenatal sleep and adverse childhood experiences in a proof-of-concept observational mixed methods study.iScience · 2026Article
- Twitching in sleeping premature infants provides a sensitive behavioral assay of early motor control.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Seasonal variation in sleep apnea and other sleep parameters from diagnostic polysomnography data, 2003-2024.Communications health · 2026Article
- Current Evidence for Sleep States inCurrent sleep medicine reports · 2026Review
- Article
- A novel theory of rapid eye movement sleep as an integral component of the seasonal timekeeping apparatus.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
Abstract
For many decades, sleep researchers have sought to determine which species 'have' rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In doing so, they relied predominantly on a template derived from the expression of REM sleep in the adults of a small number of mammalian species. Here, we argue for a different approach that focuses less on a binary decision about haves and have nots, and more on the diverse expression of REM sleep components over development and across species. By focusing on the components of REM sleep and discouraging continued reliance on a restricted template, we aim to promote a richer and more biologically grounded developmental-comparative approach that spans behavioral, physiological, neural, and ecological domains.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.