Polysomnography involves the continuous monitoring of multiple physiological variables during sleep. These variables include electroencephalography, electrooculography, electromyography, and electrocardiography as well as airflow, oxygenation, and ventilation measurements. Electroencephalography measures the voltage activity of neuronal somas and dendrites within the cortex, electro-oculography measures the potential between cornea and retina, electromyography is used to identify REM sleep by measuring the electrical potential of skeletal muscle, and electrocardiography measures cardiac rate and rhythm. It is important to point out that EEG, in particular, always refers to a collective of neurons firing as EEG equipment is not sensitive enough to measure a single neuron.