Key result
Greater decreases in cardiac parasympathetic activity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) over time correlated with greater motion sickness severity during exposure to a rotating optokinetic drum.
Why the study?
Is a time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity associated with motion sickness severity during illusory self-motion?
Observational (n=59)
Is a time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity associated with motion sickness severity during illusory self-motion?
A time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity correlates with motion sickness severity during illusory self-motion.
Hypothesis-generating for autonomic biomarkers in motion sickness; extends chemotherapy-nausea associations but leaves causal role and utility open.
Chemotherapy-induced nausea has been associated with a time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity. We tested the hypothesis that a time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity would also be associated with nausea and other motion sickness symptoms during illusory self-motion (vection). Fifty-nine participants (aged 18-34 years: 25 male) were exposed to a rotating optokinetic drum to induce vection. Symptoms of motion sickness and an estimate of cardiac parasympathetic activity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) were obtained at baseline and throughout a drum-rotation period. As expected, motion sickness symptoms increased and RSA decreased over time during drum rotation. Moreover, greater decreases in RSA over time correlated with greater motion sickness severity. These results suggest that a time-related decrease in cardiac parasympathetic activity may be an important correlate of nausea and motion sickness across different evocative contexts.
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Gianaros et al. (2003) conducted an observational in Motion sickness (n=59). Rotating optokinetic drum vs. Baseline was evaluated on Correlation between changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and motion sickness severity. Greater decreases in cardiac parasympathetic activity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) over time correlated with greater motion sickness severity during exposure to a rotating optokinetic drum.
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