Motion Sickness and Space Sickness: Clinical and Experimental Findings

D. Megighian; A. Martini

doi:10.1159/000275493

Galvanic vestibular stimulation: a novel modulatory countermeasure for vestibular-associated movement disorders

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/0004-282x20130182 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 72-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Carlos V. Rizzo-Sierra ◽

Alexander Gonzalez-Castaño ◽

Fidias E. Leon-Sarmiento

Keyword(s):

Motion Sickness ◽

Movement Disorders ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Sensory Information ◽

Vestibular Stimulation ◽

Human Locomotion ◽

Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽

Spatial Disorientation ◽

Neural Transmission ◽

Space Sickness

Motion sickness or kinetosis is the result of the abnormal neural output originated by visual, proprioceptive and vestibular mismatch, which reverses once the dysfunctional sensory information becomes coherent. The space adaptation syndrome or space sickness relates to motion sickness; it is considered to be due to yaw, pith, and roll coordinates mismatch. Several behavioural and pharmacological measures have been proposed to control these vestibular-associated movement disorders with no success. Galvanic vestibular stimulation has the potential of up-regulating disturbed sensory-motor mismatch originated by kinetosis and space sickness by modulating the GABA-related ion channels neural transmission in the inner ear. It improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the afferent proprioceptive volleys, which would ultimately modulate the motor output restoring the disordered gait, balance and human locomotion due to kinetosis, as well as the spatial disorientation generated by gravity transition.

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Vestibular Function and Motion Sickness Susceptibility: Videonystagmographic Evidence From Oculomotor and Caloric Tests

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2020_aja-19-00050 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 188-198

Author(s):

Cynthia G. Fowler ◽

Margaret Dallapiazza ◽

Kathleen Talbot Hadsell

Keyword(s):

Phase Velocity ◽

Motion Sickness ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Short Form ◽

Vestibular Function ◽

Slow Phase ◽

Test Results ◽

Normal Range ◽

Slow Phase Velocity ◽

Caloric Tests

Purpose Motion sickness (MS) is a common condition that affects millions of individuals. Although the condition is common and can be debilitating, little research has focused on the vestibular function associated with susceptibility to MS. One causal theory of MS is an asymmetry of vestibular function within or between ears. The purposes of this study, therefore, were (a) to determine if the vestibular system (oculomotor and caloric tests) in videonystagmography (VNG) is associated with susceptibility to MS and (b) to determine if these tests support the theory of an asymmetry between ears associated with MS susceptibility. Method VNG was used to measure oculomotor and caloric responses. Fifty young adults were recruited; 50 completed the oculomotor tests, and 31 completed the four caloric irrigations. MS susceptibility was evaluated with the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire–Short Form; in this study, percent susceptibility ranged from 0% to 100% in the participants. Participants were divided into three susceptibility groups (Low, Mid, and High). Repeated-measures analyses of variance and pairwise comparisons determined significance among the groups on the VNG test results. Results Oculomotor test results revealed no significant differences among the MS susceptibility groups. Caloric stimuli elicited responses that were correlated positively with susceptibility to MS. Slow-phase velocity was slowest in the Low MS group compared to the Mid and High groups. There was no significant asymmetry between ears in any of the groups. Conclusions MS susceptibility was significantly and positively correlated with caloric slow-phase velocity. Although asymmetries between ears are purported to be associated with MS, asymmetries were not evident. Susceptibility to MS may contribute to interindividual variability of caloric responses within the normal range.

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