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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Semicircular canals as a primary etiological factor in motion sickness.

Data are presented which support the view that the semicircular canals of humans can act as the essential factor for the production of motion sickness and the evocation of symptoms characteristic of this malady in the absence of 'motion.' Quantitative grading of acute symptoms demonstrated that motion sickness can be evoked by stimuli which are adequately provocative and unique for the canals. These results are compared with those of two provocative rotational tests that introduce Coriolis (cross-coupled angular acceleration) forces or generate a rotating linear acceleration vector. Wide interindividual differences but only slight intraindividual differences among the six provocative test conditions are revealed, indicating that individuals usually possess an overall susceptibility to motion which is relatively independent of its type. The fact that typical symptoms of motion sickness were also produced by bithermal irrigation of several subjects who represented a wide range of susceptibility adds to the evidence that semicircular canals can act as the primary etiological factor in this malady.

Miller, E. F., II↗
NASA NTRS1980

Evaluation of the relationship between motion sickness symptomatology and blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature

This study investigated the relationship between the development of symptoms of motion sickness and changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature. Twelve subjects were each evaluated four times using the vestibular-visual interaction test (Graybiel and Lackner, 1980). The results were analyzed both within and across individual subjects. Neither a systematic group nor consistent individual relationship was found between the physiological parameters and the appearance of symptoms of motion sickness. These findings suggest that biofeedback control of the physiological variables studied is not likely to prevent the expression of motion sickness symptomatology.

Graybiel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Experimental studies of gastric dysfunction in motion sickness: The effect of gastric and vestibular stimulation on the vagal and splanchnic gastric efferents

The susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to motion sickens was investigated using test conditions that are provocative for eliciting motion sickness in squirrel monkeys. Ten male rhesus monkeys and ten male Bolivian squirrel monkeys were rotated in the vertical axis at 150°/s for a maximum duration of 45 min. Each animal was tested in two conditions, continuous rotation and intermittent rotation. None of the rhesus monkeys vomited during the motion tests but all of the squirrel monkeys did. Differences were observed between the species in the amount of activity that occurred during motion tests, with the squirrel monkeys being significantly more active than the rhesus monkeys. These results, while substantiating anecdotal reports of the resistance of rhesus monkeys to motion sickness, should be interpreted with caution because of the documented differences that exist between various species with regard to stimuli that are provocative for eliciting motion sickness.

Meryl L Corcoran↗
NASA NTRS1971

Altered susceptibility to motion sickness as a function of subgravity level

Large interindividual differences among 74 normal subjects in the change in susceptibility to motion sickness with effective lifting of the normal g-load by parabolic flight maneuvers were recorded with high test-retest reliability. Most subjects, who were required to make standardized head movements while seated in a chair rotating at a constant speed, demonstrated either a substantial increase or a decrease in susceptibility, in confirmation of a previous study, while a few appeared to be more or less unaffected by the 1 g to 0 g gravitational change. A similar test procedure conducted with eighteen of the subjects at lunar- and Martian-gravity levels revealed further interindividual differences in susceptiblity as a function of g-level. The subjects with gravity-dependent susceptibility revealed: (1) a progressive change in susceptibility as a function of g-load in either the positive or negative direction that was characteristic of the individual, (2) a susceptibility level that appeared to be maintained at the fractional g-load, and (3) immunity to motion sickness at all g-levels tested below the earth standard. The case history as well as ground-based functional and provocative tests of normal subjects proved to be inadequate in predicting susceptibility to motion sickness under subgravity conditions.

Miller, E. F., II↗
NASA NTRS1987

Role of orientation reference selection in motion sickness

The objectives of this proposal were developed to further explore and quantify the orientation reference selection abilities of subjects and the relation, if any, between motion sickness and orientation reference selection. The overall objectives of this proposal are to determine (1) if motion sickness susceptibility is related to sensory orientation reference selection abilities of subjects, (2) if abnormal vertical canal-otolith function is the source of these abnormal posture control strategies and if it can be quantified by vestibular and oculomotor reflex measurements, and (3) if quantifiable measures of perception of vestibular and visual motion cues can be related to motion sickness susceptibility and to orientation reference selection ability demonstrated by tests which systematically control the sensory imformation available for orientation.

Peterka, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Electrical acustimulation relieves vection-induced motion sickness

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of electrical acustimulation on gastric myoelectric activity and severity of symptoms of motion sickness. In experiment 1, 16 Chinese subjects received electrical acustimulation in one of two sessions. In experiment 2, 45 white and black American subjects were randomly divided into three groups: acustimulation, sham acustimulation, and control. Each subject sat in an optokinetic drum for 15 minutes baseline and 15 minutes of drum rotation. Subjects' electrogastrograms and subjective symptoms of motion sickness were obtained. In experiment 1, the mean symptom score and tachyarrhythmia during acustimulation sessions were significantly lower than during no-acustimulation sessions. In experiment 2, the mean symptom score of the acustimulation group was significantly lower than that of the sham-stimulation group and the control group; tachyarrhythmia in the acustimulation group was significantly less than that of the control group but not the sham-stimulation group. In conclusion, electrical acustimulation reduces the severity of symptoms of motion sickness and appears to decrease gastric tachyarrhythmia.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1986

M.I.T./Canadian vestibular experiments on the Spacelab-1 mission: 4. Space motion sickness: symptoms, stimuli, and predictability

Space sickness symptoms were observed by 4 specially trained observers on Spacelab-1. Three reported persistent symptoms, and vomited repeatedly during the first and/or second day of flight. Head movements on all axes were provocative, particularly in pitch and roll. Head acceleration data recorded from 2 symptomatic crewmen showed that after several hours of physical activity in orbit, symptoms appeared, and thereafter both crewmen were compelled to limit head movements. Firm body contact with motionless surfaces helped alleviate symptoms. When crewmembers floated into unfamiliar body orientations in the cabin, inherent ambiguities in static visual orientation cues sometimes produced spatial reorientation episodes which were also provocative. Symptoms largely resembled those of other forms of prolonged motion sickness, superimposed upon other symptoms attributable to fluid shift. All 4 eventually used anti-motion sickness drugs. When they did, vomiting frequency was reduced. By the 4th day, symptoms subsided, and head accelerations again increased in magnitude and variability. Sickness intensity in orbit was not predicted by statistically concordant results of 6 acute preflight susceptibility tests. However, results from a longer duration preflight prism goggles test showed an apparent correlation. All subjects were asymptomatic making head movements in parabolic flight 4 days after the mission, but not 1 year later. Overall, results support the view that space sickness is a motion sickness.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1984

Susceptibility of cat and squirrel monkey to motion sickness induced by visual stimulation: Correlation with susceptibility to vestibular stimulation

Experiments in which the susceptibility of both cats and squirrel monkeys to motion sickness induced by visual stimulation are documented. In addition, it is shown that in both species those individual subjects most highly susceptible to sickness induced by passive motion are also those most likely to become motion sick from visual (optokinetic) stimulation alone.

Daunton, N. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Role of the vestibular end organs in experimental motion sickness - A primate model

Experimental studies of the role of vestibular end organs in motion sickness experienced by squirrel monkeys are reviewed. The first experiments in motion-sickness-susceptible squirrel monkeys were performed under a free-moving condition with horizontal rotation and vertical oscillation. In the following experiments, the vestibular-visual conflict in the pitch plane was given to the chair-restrained (upright position) squirrel monkeys. Results of this study showed that the existence of otolith afferents, which continually signal the directional change of gravity and linear acceleration vectors, was necessary for the elicitation of emesis by the sensory conflict in pitch.

Igarashi, Makoto↗
NASA NTRS1999

Vestibular autonomic regulation (including motion sickness and the mechanism of vomiting)

Autonomic manifestations of vestibular dysfunction and motion sickness are well established in the clinical literature. Recent studies of 'vestibular autonomic regulation' have focused predominantly on autonomic responses to stimulation of the vestibular sense organs in the inner ear. These studies have shown that autonomic responses to vestibular stimulation are regionally selective and have defined a 'vestibulosympathetic reflex' in animal experiments. Outside the realm of experimental preparations, however, the importance of vestibular inputs in autonomic regulation is unclear because controls for secondary factors, such as affective/emotional responses and cardiovascular responses elicited by muscle contraction and regional blood pooling, have been inadequate. Anatomic and physiologic evidence of an extensive convergence of vestibular and autonomic information in the brainstem suggests though that there may be an integrated representation of gravitoinertial acceleration from vestibular, somatic, and visceral receptors for somatic and visceral motor control. In the case of vestibular dysfunction or motion sickness, the unpleasant visceral manifestations (e.g. epigastric discomfort, nausea or vomiting) may contribute to conditioned situational avoidance and the development of agoraphobia.

Review, Tutorial↗
NASA NTRS2006

Adaptive Changes In Postural Equilibrium And Motion Sickness Following Repeated Exposures To Virtual Environments

Virtual environments offer unique training opportunities, particularly for training astronauts and preadapting them to the novel sensory conditions of microgravity. Two unresolved human factors issues in virtual reality (VR) systems are: 1) potential "cybersickness", and 2) maladaptive sensorimotor performance following exposure to VR systems. Interestingly, these aftereffects are often quite similar to adaptive sensorimotor responses observed in astronauts during and/or following space flight. Changes in the environmental sensory stimulus conditions and the way we interact with the new stimuli may result in motion sickness, and perceptual, spatial orientation and sensorimotor disturbances. Initial interpretation of novel sensory information may be inappropriate and result in perceptual errors. Active exploratory behavior in a new environment, with resulting feedback and the formation of new associations between sensory inputs and response outputs, promotes appropriate perception and motor control in the new environment. Thus, people adapt to consistent, sustained alterations of sensory input such as those produced by microgravity, unilateral labyrinthectomy and experimentally produced stimulus rearrangements. Adaptation is revealed by aftereffects including perceptual disturbances and sensorimotor control disturbances. The purpose of the current study was to compare disturbances in postural control produced by dome and head-mounted virtual environment displays, and to examine the effects of exposure duration, and repeated exposures to VR systems. Forty-one subjects (21 men, 20 women) participated in the study with an age range of 21-49 years old. One training session was completed in order to achieve stable performance on the posture and VR tasks before participating in the experimental sessions. Three experimental sessions were performed each separated by one day. The subjects performed a navigation and pick and place task in either a dome or head-mounted display (HMD) VR system for either 30 or 60 min. The environment was a square room with 15 pedestals on two opposite walls. The objects appeared on one set of pedestals and the subject s objective was to move the objects to the other set of pedestals. After the subject picked up an object, a pathway appeared and they were required to follow the pathway to the other side of the room. The subject was instructed to perform the task as quickly and accurately as possible, avoiding hitting walls and other any obstacles and placing the object on the center of the pedestal. Postural equilibrium was measured (using the Equitest CDP balance system, Neurocom, International) before, immediately after, and at 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr and 6 hr following exposure to VR. Postural equilibrium was measured during quiet stance with eyes open, eyes closed and vision and/or ankle proprioceptive inputs selectively altered by servo-controlling the visual surround and/or support surface to the subject s center of mass sway. Posture data was normalized using a log transformation and motion sickness data were normalized using the square root. In general, we found that exposure to VR resulted in decrements in postural stability. The largest decrements were observed in the tests performed immediately following exposure to VR and showed a fairly rapid recovery across the remaining test sessions. In addition, subjects generally showed improvement across days. We found significant main effects for day and time for the composite equilibrium score and for sensory organization tests (SOT) 1, 2 and 6. Significant main effects were observed for day for SOT 3 and 5. Although we found no significant main effects for gender (when center of gravity was used as a covariate), we did observe significant gender X time interaction effects for composite equilibrium and for SOT 1, 3, 4 and 5. Women appeared to show larger decrements in postural stability immediately after exposure to VR than men, but recover more quickly than n. Finally, we found no significant main effects for type of VR device or for exposure duration, however, these factors did interact with other factors during some of the SOTs. Subjects exhibited rapid recovery of motion sickness symptoms across time following exposure to VR and significantly less severe symptoms across days. We did not observe main effects for gender, type of device or duration of exposure. Individuals recovered from the detrimental effects of exposure to virtual reality on postural control and motion sickness within one hour. Sickness severity and initial decrements in postural equilibrium decreases over days, which suggests that subjects become dual-adapted over time. These findings provide some direction for developing training schedules for VR users that facilitate adaptation, and support the idea that preflight training of astronauts may serve as useful countermeasure for the sensorimotor effects of space flight.

Harm, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A sudden-stop vestibulovisual test for rapid assessment of motion sickness manifestations

A sudden-stop vestibulovisual (SSV) test employing a rotating chair centered in a striped cylindrical enclosure is discussed. A subject, with his eyes covered, is accelerated clockwise at 15 degrees per second squared and maintained at this velocity for 30 sec. The chair is then brought to rest within 1.5 sec and remains at rest for 30 sec while physiological parameters and motion sickness symptoms are recorded. The procedure is repeated until a predetermined motion sickness endpoint (slight nausea) is reached or 20 stops have been made. The scores made by 14 subjects in 4 sessions in terms of susceptibility to motion sickness are presented, and the pattern of all scores indicates rates of acquisition and decay of adaptation effects. It is concluded that at sea or in flight training good retention of adaptation is more important than is a rapid rate of acquiring adaptation, but in Spacelab, where early missions will be brief, rapid acquisition is all-important.

Graybiel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Torsional vestibulo-ocular reflex measurements for identifying otolith asymmetries possibly related to space motion sickness susceptibility

Recent studies by Diamond and Markham have identified significant correlations between space motion sickness susceptibility and measures of disconjugate torsional eye movements recorded during parabolic flights. These results support an earlier proposal by von Baumgarten and Thumler which hypothesized that an asymmetry of otolith function between the two ears is the cause of space motion sickness. It may be possible to devise experiments that can be performed in the 1 g environment on earth that could identify and quantify the presence of asymmetric otolith function. This paper summarizes the known physiological and anatomical properties of the otolith organs and the properties of the torsional vestibulo-ocular reflex which are relevant to the design of a stimulus to identify otolith asymmetries. A specific stimulus which takes advantage of these properties is proposed.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1977

Comparison of susceptibility to motion sickness during rotation at 30 rpm in the earth-horizontal, 10 deg head-up, and 10 deg head-down positions

Normal persons rotated about an earth-horizontal axis vary in their susceptibility to motion sickness. An experimental study was conducted to measure intraindividual differences in susceptibility in 12 subjects when rotated 10 deg head up and 10 deg head down as well as in the horizontal position. Subjects assumed the test-position 60 min prior to rotation, thus providing an opportunity for translocation of body fluids. Physiological and psychological measurements were conducted throughout the experiment. There were no intraindividual differences in susceptibility to motion sickness in the three positions tested, although there were significant differences in vital capacity, demonstrating the expected fluid shifts. It was concluded that, in the sample of subjects tested, short-term effects of fluid shifts greater than those that would be manifested in zero gravity had no definite effect on motion sickness susceptibility.

Graybiel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Contributions of the space program to our knowledge of motion sickness.

A slow rotation room (SRR) was used in a laboratory setting to study experimental motion sickness. This SRR simulates, to some degree, the conditions on a rotating spacecraft. Habitability of the chamber was ascertained by subjects who remained in the room for over a month with experimenters in attendance. Control over stressful accelerations involved regulation of the room's angular velocity and the subject's head rotations. By standardizing the head rotations, the strength of the disturbing stimulus became a function of the room's angular velocity. Mild acute episodes of motion sickness were readily kept under control. Certain techniques demonstrated that a subject's susceptibility may be expressed in terms of the number of head motions at a particular angular velocity to reach a chosen endpoint. Investigations using prolonged exposure used rapid increase in rpm to terminal velocity to evoke symptoms, or incremental increase to terminal velocity to prevent them. The effectiveness of 16 representative antimotion sickness drugs is discussed.

Graybiel, A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mechanisms of selective attention and space motion sickness

The neural mismatch theory of space motion sickness asserts that the central and peripheral autonomic sequelae of discordant sensory input arise from central integrative processes falling to reconcile patterns of incoming sensory information with existing memory. Stated differently, perceived novelty reaches a stress level as integrative mechanisms fail to return a sense of control to the individual in the new environment. Based on evidence summarized here, the severity of the neural mismatch may be dependent upon the relative amount of attention selectively afforded to each sensory input competing for control of behavior. Components of the limbic system may play important roles in match-mismatch operations, be therapeutically modulated by antimotion sickness drugs, and be optimally positioned to control autonomic output.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗