Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “sicknesses”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8

Treatment of motion sickness in parabolic flight with buccal scopolamine

Treatment of acute motion sickness induced by parabolic flight with a preparation of scopolamine placed in the buccal pouch was investigated. Twenty-one subjects flew aboard a KC-135 aircraft operated by NASA which performed parabolic maneuvers resulting in periods of 0-g, 1-g, and 1.8-g. Each subject flew once with a tablet containing scopolamine and once with a placebo in a random order, crossover design. Signs and symptoms of motion sickness were systematically recorded during each parabola by an investigator who was blind to the content of the tablet. Compared with flights using placebo, flights with buccal scopolamine resulted in significantly lower scores for nausea (31-35 percent reduction) and vomiting (50 percent reduction in number of parabolas with vomiting). Side effects of the drug during flight were negligible. It is concluded that buccal scopolamine is more effective than a placebo in treating ongoing motion sickness.

Norfleet, William T.↗

Does a motion base prevent simulator sickness?

The use of high-fidelity motion cues to reduce the discrepancy between visually implied motion and actual motion is tested experimentally using the NASA Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Ten pilot subjects use the VMS to fly simulated S-turns and sawtooths which generate a high incidence of motion sickness. The subjects fly the maneuvers on separate days both with and without use of a motion base provided by the VMS, and data are collected regarding symptoms, dark focus, and postural equilibrium. The motion-base condition is shown to be practically irrelevant with respect to the incidence and severity of motion sickness. It is suggested that the data-collection procedure cannot detect differences in sickness levels, and the false cues of the motion condition are theorized to have an adverse impact approximately equivalent to the absence of cues in a fixed-base condition.

Sharkey, Thomas J.↗

Mental rotation - A key to mitigation of motion sickness in the virtual environments?

If mental rotation is important for the reduction of motion sickness and complement performance in virtual environments (VEs), the use of the Howard (1982) mental rotation test battery may identify individuals with lower susceptibility to VE-induced motion sickness and therefore a greater probability of success as VE operators. An apparatus and its associated procedures are currently under development for astronaut microgravity training aimed at reducing motion sickness; it is hypothesized that this system may be of significance to VE testing and training.

Parker, Donald E.↗

Space motion sickness monitoring experiment - Spacelab 1

A detailed firsthand report on symptoms and signs of space motion sickness and fluid shift observed by four specially trained crewmembers during Shuttle/Spacelab 1, launched on November 28, 1983 is presented. Results show that three crewmen experienced persistent overall discomfort and vomited repeatedly. Symptom pattern was generally similar to that seen in the individuals preflight, except that prodromalnausea was brief or absent in some cases. Symptoms were clearly modulated by head movement, were exacerbated by unfamiliar visual cues, and could be reduced by physical restraint providing contact cues around the body. The results support the view that space sickness is a form of motion sickness.

Oman, Charles M.↗

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↗

Relation of motion sickness susceptibility to vestibular and behavioral measures of orientation

The objective of this proposal is to determine the relationship of motion sickness susceptibility to vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VOR), motion perception, and behavioral utilization of sensory orientation cues for the control of postural equilibrium. The work is focused on reflexes and motion perception associated with pitch and roll movements that stimulate the vertical semicircular canals and otolith organs of the inner ear. This work is relevant to the space motion sickness problem since 0 g related sensory conflicts between vertical canal and otolith motion cues are a likely cause of space motion sickness. Results of experimentation are summarized and modifications to a two-axis rotation device are described. Abstracts of a number of papers generated during the reporting period are appended.

Peterka, Robert J.↗

Relation of motion sickness susceptibility to vestibular and behavioral measures of orientation

The objective is to determine the relationship of motion sickness susceptibility to vestibulo-ocular reflexes (VOR), motion perception, and behavioral utilization of sensory orientation cues for the control of postural equilibrium. The work is focused on reflexes and motion perception associated with pitch and roll movements that stimulate the vertical semicircular canals and otolith organs of the inner ear. This work is relevant to the space motion sickness problem since 0 g related sensory conflicts between vertical canal and otolith motion cues are a likely cause of space motion sickness.

Peterka, Robert J.↗

Self Motion Perception and Motion Sickness

The studies conducted in this research project examined several aspects of motion sickness in animal models. A principle objective of these studies was to investigate the neuroanatomy that is important in motion sickness with the objectives of examining both the utility of putative models and defining neural mechanisms that are important in motion sickness.

Fox, Robert A.↗

Is there a role for nonsedating antihistamines in motion sickness? Fallout from space research may soon benefit your patients

The rotating chair test, a novel research technique for simulating motion sickness, is used to study the effect of nonsedating oral antihistamines in preventing or forestalling motion sickness. After receiving terfenadine, astemizole, doxepin, or placebo, four groups of male volunteers were rotated at accelerating speed, and they made head movements out of the axis of rotation until they perceived that vomiting would occur if additional head movements were made. Those pretreated with doxepin or terfenadine experienced a statistically significant prophylactic effect, as measured by increased tolerance to Coriolis stimulation. This suggests that selective peripheral H1 antihistamine action may protect against motion sickness.

Clinical Trial↗

Altered sensory-motor control of the head as an etiological factor in space-motion sickness

Mechanical unloading during head movements in weightlessness may be an etiological factor in space-motion sickness. We simulated altered head loading on Earth without affecting vestibular stimulation by having subjects wear a weighted helmet. Eight subjects were exposed to constant velocity rotation about a vertical axis with direction reversals every 60 sec. for eight reversals with the head loaded and eight with the head unloaded. The severity of motion sickness elicited was significantly higher when the head was loaded. This suggests that altered sensory-motor control of the head is also an etiological factor in space-motion sickness.

NASA Discipline Neuroscience↗

Relationship between selected orientation rest frame, circular vection and space motion sickness

Space motion sickness (SMS) and spatial orientation and motion perception disturbances occur in 70-80% of astronauts. People select "rest frames" to create the subjective sense of spatial orientation. In microgravity, the astronaut's rest frame may be based on visual scene polarity cues and on the internal head and body z axis (vertical body axis). The data reported here address the following question: Can an astronaut's orientation rest frame be related and described by other variables including circular vection response latencies and space motion sickness? The astronaut's microgravity spatial orientation rest frames were determined from inflight and postflight verbal reports. Circular vection responses were elicited by rotating a virtual room continuously at 35 degrees/s in pitch, roll and yaw with respect to the astronaut. Latency to the onset of vection was recorded from the time the crew member opened their eyes to the onset of vection. The astronauts who used visual cues exhibited significantly shorter vection latencies than those who used internal z axis cues. A negative binomial regression model was used to represent the observed total SMS symptom scores for each subject for each flight day. Orientation reference type had a significant effect, resulting in an estimated three-fold increase in the expected motion sickness score on flight day 1 for astronauts who used visual cues. The results demonstrate meaningful classification of astronauts' rest frames and their relationships to sensitivity to circular vection and SMS. Thus, it may be possible to use vection latencies to predict SMS severity and duration.

short duration↗

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↗

Stroboscopic Goggles as a Countermeasure for Dynamic Visual Acuity and Landing Sickness in Crewmembers Returning from Long-Duration Spaceflight

Long-term exposure to microgravity causes sensorimotor adaptations that result in functional deficits upon returning to a gravitational environment. At landing, the vestibular system and the central nervous system, responsible for coordinating head and eye movements via the vestibulo-occular reflex (VOR), are adapted to microgravity and must re-adapt to the Earth's gravitational environment. This re-adaptation causes decrements in gaze control and dynamic visual acuity, with astronauts reporting oscillopsia and blurred vision. These effects are caused by retinal slip, or the inability to keep an image focused on their retina, which is thought to drive motion sickness symptoms experienced upon landing. Retinal slip can be estimated by dynamic visual acuity (DVA); visual acuity while in motion. Peters et al. (2011) find that DVA is worsened in astronauts by an average of 0.75 eye-chart lines one day after landing. Previously, the use of stroboscopic goggles has shown to be effective in minimizing motion sickness symptoms due to retinal slip (Reschke et al. 2007). In this study, we simulated the decrement in DVA caused by sensorimotor re-adaptation by using minifying lenses and then testing the efficacy of stroboscopic goggles in preventing retinal slip and improving DVA. Dynamic visual acuity is assessed using an oscillating chair developed in the Neuroscience Laboratory at JSC. This chair is motor-driven and oscillates vertically at 2 Hz with a vertical displacement of +/- 2 cm to simulate the vertical translations that occur while walking. As the subject is being oscillated, they are asked to discern the direction of Landolt-C optotypes of varying sizes and record their direction using a gamepad. The visual acuity thresholds are determined using an algorithm that alters the size of the optotype based on the previous responses of the subject using a forced-choice best parameter estimation that is able to rapidly converge on the threshold value. Visual acuity thresholds were determined both for static (seated) and dynamic (oscillating) conditions. Dynamic visual acuity is defined as the difference between the dynamic and static conditions. We found that healthy subjects (n=20) have a significantly impaired DVA while wearing the minifying lenses, demonstrating that the VOR is in an adaptive state and retinal slip is occurring. When subjects' acuity was tested wearing the stroboscopic goggles with the minifying lenses, there was no significant difference in their DVA compared to their baseline DVA. This suggests that stroboscopic goggles are preventing retinal slip and would function as an efficient countermeasure for VOR adaptations and thus help mitigate landing sickness symptoms experienced by long-duration crewmembers. These goggles might also be used to counter blurred vision (caused by retinal slip) experienced by crewmembers during launch where the vehicle vibrations are greatest. The stroboscopic effect could be built into a section of their head mounted displays on the visor of their helmets to be used in these high vibration situation if a mission critical task is necessary.

Rosenberg, M. J. F.↗

Stroboscopic Goggles as a Countermeasure for Dynamic Visual Acuity and Landing Sickness After Long-Duration Spaceflight

Gravity transitions cause changes in the vestibulo-occular reflex (VOR), which manifests as poor gaze control, a decrement in dynamic visual acuity (the ability to maintain gaze while in motion), both of which are caused by retinal slip. Retinal slip, the inability to keep an image focused on the retina, can drive or worsen sensory conflict, resulting in motion sickness (MS). Currently 100% of returning crewmembers report MS symptoms, which might affect their ability to perform mission critical tasks immediately after landing. Reschke et al. (2007) demonstrate that stroboscopic vision goggles improve motion sickness onset and symptom severity in motion sickness driven by retinal slip.

Rosenberg, M. J. F.↗

Preliminary Results Using Galvanic Vestibular Reduction as a Non-Pharmaceutical Tool for Motion Sickness Mitigation

Alterations in vestibular sensory processing following G-transitions lead to motion sickness and spatial disorientation upon return to Earth’s gravity. The use of non-pharmaceutical mitigation for motion sickness has several potential advantages over drug treatment options. The purpose of this study was to validate a non-pharmaceutical tool using galvanic vestibular reduction (GVR) to mitigate G-transitional induced motion sickness and spatial disorientation.

G N Pradhan↗

Conditioned taste aversion and motion sickness in cats and squirrel monkeys

The relationship between vomiting and conditioned taste aversion was studied in intact cats and squirrel monkeys and in cats and squirrel monkeys in which the area postrema was ablated by thermal cautery. In cats conditioned 7-12 months after ablation of the area postrema, three successive treatments with xylazine failed to produce either vomiting or conditioned taste aversion to a novel fluid. Intact cats, however, vomited and formed a conditioned aversion. In squirrel monkeys conditioned 6 months after ablation of the area postrema, three treatments with lithium chloride failed to produce conditioned taste aversion. Intact monkeys did condition with these treatments. Neither intact nor ablated monkeys vomited or evidenced other signs of illness when injected with lithium chloride. When the same ablated cats and monkeys were exposed to a form of motion that produced vomiting prior to surgery, conditioned taste aversion can be produced after ablation of the area postrema. The utility of conditioned taste aversion as a measure of subemetic motion sickness is discussed by examining agreement and disagreement between identifications of motion sickness by conditioned taste aversion and vomiting. It is suggested that a convincing demonstration of the utility of conditioned taste aversion as a measure of nausea requires the identification of physiological correlates of nausea, and caution should be exercised when attempting to interpret conditioned taste aversion as a measure of nausea.

area postrema↗