Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “MOTION SICKNESS”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

Stroboscopic Vision as a Treatment for Retinal Slip Induced Motion Sickness

Motion sickness in the general population is a significant problem driven by the increasingly more sophisticated modes of transportation, visual displays, and virtual reality environments. It is important to investigate non-pharmacological alternatives for the prevention of motion sickness for individuals who cannot tolerate the available anti-motion sickness drugs, or who are precluded from medication because of different operational environments. Based on the initial work of Melvill Jones, in which post hoc results indicated that motion sickness symptoms were prevented during visual reversal testing when stroboscopic vision was used to prevent retinal slip, we have evaluated stroboscopic vision as a method of preventing motion sickness in a number of different environments. Specifically, we have undertaken a five part study that was designed to investigate the effect of stroboscopic vision (either with a strobe light or LCD shutter glasses) on motion sickness while: (1) using visual field reversal, (2) reading while riding in a car (with or without external vision present), (3) making large pitch head movements during parabolic flight, (4) during exposure to rough seas in a small boat, and (5) seated and reading in the cabin area of a UH60 Black Hawk Helicopter during 20 min of provocative flight patterns.

Reschke, M. F.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modified Autogenic Feedback Training Produces Effect on Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is a common physiological reaction to provocative motion and is characterized by a constellation of symptoms, including stomach awareness, nausea, emesis, pallor, sweating, hypersalivation, and fatigue. The emergence of these symptoms can pose a significant threat to safety, particularly in the context of aviation. Given its prevalence among aviators and its detrimental impact on performance, researchers have endeavored to identify effective countermeasures for motion sickness. Currently, many of the existing interventions are pharmacological in nature and while effective, they present a problem due to their associated adverse side effects. A modified two-hour version of Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise (AFTE) could be an effective countermeasure to motion sickness without adverse side effects. AFTE combines principles of autogenic therapy, biofeedback, and learning to teach individuals to control their own internal physiological reactions through a series of relaxation and arousal exercises. AFTE was administered over six days. On the first day, participants were exposed to provocative motion via a rotating chair test to collect baseline physiological data. AFTE sessions were conducted on four consecutive days and lasted approximately 30 minutes each session. Participants were exposed to the rotating chair again on the 6th day. Results: Participants (n = 16) were evaluated on the number of rotations experienced and cumulative minutes spun in the chair. Participants tended to ride longer (M = 21.0 min, SD = 16.56) and tolerated more rotations (M = 244.8 rotations, SD = 310.62) on their second rotating chair test compared to baseline (M = 14.0 min, SD = 9.35; M = 125.8 rotations, SD = 124.08; t(15) = 2.21, p = .02). A moderate effect size was recorded (Hedges’s g = 0.44). A modified two-hour version of the AFTE is effective at increasing tolerance of symptoms associated with motion sickness.

motion sickness↗
NASA NTRS1985

Endocrine correlates of susceptibility to motion sickness

Motion sickness releases ACTH, epinerphrine, and norepinephrine. The endocrine responses to motion sickness, adaptive responses leading to the resolution of the syndrome, and the way in which antimotion-sickness drugs influence the endocrine responses were studied. Susceptible or insusceptible subjects were administered antimotion-sickness drugs prior to stressful stimulation. Insusceptible subjects displayed more pronounced elevations of ACTH, epinephrine, and norepinephrine after stressful motion. Predrug levels of ACTH were higher in insusceptible subjects (p less than 0.01). Acute blockade of hormone responses to stressful motion or alteration of levels of ACTH by drugs were not correlated with individual susceptibility. No correlation was apparent between epinephrine and ACTH release. These endocrine differences may represent neurochemical markers for susceptibility to motion, stress, or general adaptability, and it may be that the chronic modulation of their levels might be more effective in preventing motion sickness than the acute blockage or stimulation of specific receptors.

Kohl, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Self-Motion Perception and Motion Sickness

Motion sickness typically is considered a bothersome artifact of exposure to passive motion in vehicles of conveyance. This condition seldom has significant impact on the health of individuals because it is of brief duration, it usually can be prevented by simply avoiding the eliciting condition and, when the conditions that produce it are unavoidable, sickness dissipates with continued exposure. The studies conducted 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.

Robert A Fox↗
NASA NTRS1987

Head movements in low and high gravitoinertial force environments elicit motion sickness - Implications for space motion sickness

Astronauts report that head movements in flight tend to bring on symptoms of space motion sickness (SMS). The effects of head movements in pitch, yaw, and roll (made both with normal vision and with eyes occluded) on susceptibility to motion sickness in the zero G phase of parabolic flight maneuvers were evaluated. The findings are clear-cut: pitch head movements are most provocative, yaw least provocative, and roll intermediate. These experiments suggest that SMS is not a unique nosological entity, but is the consequence of exposure to nonterrestrial force levels. Head movements during departures in either direction from 1 G elicit symptoms.

Lackner, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Head movements in non-terrestrial force environments elicit motion sickness - Implications for the etiology of space motion sickness

Space motion sickness has become an operational concern in manned space flight. Considerable evidence exists that head movements in free fall, especially pitch movements, are provocative until adaptation occurs. The question arises whether space motion sickness is an unique nosological entity or is due to body movements in a nonterrestrial force environment, a force environment for which the body's dynamic sensory-motor adaptions to 1 G are no longer appropriate. To evaluate this issue, subjects were asked to make controlled head movements during exposure to high gravitoinertial force levels, 1.8-2.0 G, in parabolic flight maneuvers. Head movements in pitch with eyes open were most evocative of motion sickness, yaw movements with eyes covered were least provocative. This pattern is identical to that which occurs when the same types of head movements are made in the free fall phase of parabolic maneuvers. It appears that space motion sickness is the consequence of prolonged exposure to a nonterrestrial force background rather than of exposure to free fall per se.

Lackner, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Autogenic-feedback training exercise is superior to promethazine for control of motion sickness symptoms

Motion sickness symptoms affect approximately 50% of the crew during space travel and are commonly treated with intramuscular injections of promethazine. The purpose of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of three treatments for motion sickness: intramuscular injections (i.m.) of promethazine, a physiological training method (autogenic-feedback training exercise [AFTE]), and a no-treatment control. An earlier study tested the effects of promethazine on cognitive and psychomotor performance and motion sickness tolerance in a rotating chair. For the present paper, motion sickness tolerance, symptom reports, and physiological responses of these subjects were compared to matched subjects selected from an existing database who received either AFTE or no treatment. Three groups of 11 men, between the ages of 33 and 40 years, were matched on the number of rotations tolerated during their initial rotating-chair motion sickness test. The motion sickness test procedures and the 7-day interval between tests were the same for all subjects. The drug group was tested under four treatment conditions: baseline (no injections), a 25 mg dose of promethazine, a 50 mg dose of promethazine, and a placebo of sterile saline. AFTE subjects were given four 30-minute AFTE sessions before their second, third, and fourth motion sickness tests (6 hours total). The no-treatment control subjects were only given the four rotating-chair tests. Motion sickness tolerance was significantly increased after 4 hours of AFTE when compared to either 25 mg (p < 0.00003) or 50 mg (p < 0.00001) of promethazine. The control and promethazine groups did not differ. AFTE subjects reported fewer or no symptoms at higher rotational velocities than subjects in the control or promethazine groups. The primary physiological effect of promethazine was an inhibition of skin conductance level. The AFTE group showed significantly less heart rate and skin conductance variability during motion sickness tests administered after training.

Clinical Trial↗
NASA NTRS1993

Autogenic feedback training experiment: A preventative method for space motion sickness

Space motion sickness is a disorder which produces symptoms similar to those of motion sickness on Earth. This syndrome has affected approximately 50 percent of all astronauts and cosmonauts exposed to microgravity in space, but it differs from what is commonly known as motion sickness in a number of critical ways. There is currently no ground-based method for predicting susceptibility to motion sickness in space. Antimotion sickness drugs have had limited success in preventing or counteracting symptoms in space, and frequently caused debilitating side effects. The objectives were: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of Autogenic-Feedback Training as a countermeasure for space motion sickness; (2) to compare physiological data and in-flight symptom reports to ground-based motion sickness data; and (3) to predict susceptibility to space motion sickness based on pre-flight data of each treatment group crew member.

Cowings, Patricia S.↗
NASA NTRS1998

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↗
NASA NTRS2006

Advances in Pharmacotherapeutics of Space Motion Sickness

Space Motion Sickness (SMS) is common occurrence in the U.S. manned space flight program and nearly 2/3 of Shuttle crewmembers experience SMS. Several drugs have been prescribed for therapeutic management of SMS. Typically, orally-administered SMS medications (scopolamine, promethazine) have poor bioavailability and often have detrimental neurocognitive side effects at recommended doses. Intramuscularly administered promethazine (PMZ) is perceived to have optimal efficacy with minimal side effects in space. However, intramuscular injections are painful and the sedating neurocognitive side effects of promethazine, significant in controlled ground testing, may be masked in orbit because injections are usually given prior to crew sleep. Currently, EVAs cannot be performed by symptomatic crew or prior to flight day three due to the lack of a consistently efficacious drug, concern about neurocognitive side effects, and because an in-suit vomiting episode is potentially fatal. NASA has long sought a fast acting, consistently effective anti-motion sickness medication which has only minor neurocognitive side effects. Development of intranasal formulations of scopolamine and promethazine, the two commonly used SMS drugs at NASA for both space and reduced gravity environment medical operations, appears to be a logical alternative to current treatment modalities for SMS. The advantages are expected to be fast absorption, reliable and high bioavailability, and probably reduced neurocognitive side effects owing to dose reduction. Results from clinical trials with intranasal scopolamine gel formulation and pre-clinical testing of a prototype microcapsule intranasal gel dosage form of PMZ (INPMZ) will be discussed. These formulations are expected to offer a dependable and effective noninvasive treatment option for SMS.

Putcha, Lakshmi↗
NASA NTRS1986

Space motion sickness

Space motion sickness clinical characteristics, time course, prediction of susceptibility, and effectiveness of countermeasures were evaluated. Although there is wide individual variability, there appear to be typical patterns of symptom development. The duration of symptoms ranges from several hours to four days with the majority of individuals being symptom free by the end of third day. The etiology of this malady remains uncertain but evidence points to reinterpretation of otolith inputs as being a key factor in the response of the neurovestibular system. Prediction of susceptibility and severity remains unsatisfactory. Countermeasures tried include medications, preflight adaptation, and autogenic feedback training. No countermeasure is entirely successful in eliminating or alleviating symptoms.

Vanderploeg, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Physiology of motion sickness symptoms

Motion sickness research is reviewed with the emphasis placed on theories developed to explain its symptomatology. A general review of central nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and neuroendocrine system involvement in the syndrome. Particular attention is given to signs, symptoms, and physiological correlates, methodological issues, and directions for future research based on a dynamic interactive systems model.

Harm, Deborah L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Use of injectable promethazine to decrease symptom scores of Space Motion Sickness

Space motion sickness (SMS) has been a problem affecting approximately 74 percent of first time shuttle flyers. Promethazine injections have been used for 29 cases of SMS to decrease the severity of their illness. Although reported to be effective in reducing symptoms in 27 of the 29 cases, there has been no proof of its efficacy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical debriefs examining the symptom scores for nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and stomach awareness were performed. Each symptom is rated on a mild = 1, moderate = 2, severe = 3 system for each flight day. Crewmember scores for the first three flight days on an initial flight in which injectable promethazine had not been used were compared to scores in a later flight in which the promethazine was utilized. Scores were also compared in a similar group of crewmembers who did not use promethazine. Results: There was a decrease in median scores for all symptoms except nausea, however, it was significant (p = 0.14) only for the vomiting scores. This significant decrease was not seen in the control group. Conclusions: Injectable promethazine has been associated with a significant decrease in vomiting compared to earlier flights in which injectable promethazine was not used.

Beck, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

What you thought you knew about motion sickness isn't necessarily so

Motion sickness symptoms, stimuli, and drug therapy are discussed. Autogenic feedback training (AFT) methods of preventing motion sickness are explained. Research with AFT indicates that participants who had AFT could withstand longer periods of Coriolis acceleration, participants with high or low susceptibility to motion sickness could control their symptoms with AFT, AFT for Coriolis acceleration is transferable to other motion sickness stimuli, and most people can learn AFT, though with varying rates of learning.

Autogenic Training↗
NASA NTRS1990

Therapeutic effects of antimotion sickness medications on the secondary symptoms of motion sickness

In addition to nausea and vomiting, motion sickness involves slowing of brain waves, loss of performance, inhibition of gastric motility and the Sopite Syndrome. The therapeutic effects of antimotion sickness drugs on these reactions were evaluated. The subjects were rotated to the M-III end-point of motion sickness. Intramuscular (IM) medications were then administered. Side effects before and after rotation were reported on the Cornell Medical Index. Brain waves were recorded on a Grass Model 6 Electroencephalograph (EEG), and gastric emptying was studied after an oral dose of 1 mCi Technetium 99m DTPA in 10 oz. isotonic saline. An increase in dizziness and drowsiness was reported with placebo after rotation. This was not prevented by IM scopolamine 0.1 mg or ephedrine 25 mg. EEG recordings indicated a slowing of alpha waves with some thea and delta waves from the frontal areas after rotation. IM ephedine and dimenhydrinate counteracted the slowing while 0.3 mg scopolamine had an additive effect. Alterations of performance on the pursuit meter correlated with the brain wave changes. Gastric emptying was restored by IM metoclopramide. Ephedrine IM but not scopolamine is effective for some of the secondary effects of motion sickness after it is established.

Wood, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Individual differences in susceptibility to motion sickness among six Skylab astronauts

Motion sickness was studied in Skylab crewmen. By mission-day 8 (MD 8), astronauts were virtually free of motion sickness symptoms after rotation and linear acceleration tests. None of the Skylab-II astronauts (crewmen 1-3) was motion sick aloft, but astronaut 6 of the Skylab-III crew experienced motion sickness within an hour after transition into orbit. All three astronauts (4-6) of Skylab-III experienced motion sickness in the workshop, where astronaut 6 was most susceptible and astronaut 4 least susceptible. The higher susceptibility of SL-III crewmen in the workshop, as compared with SL-II crewmen, may be attributable to the fact that they were based in the command module (CM) less than one-third as long as were SL-II astronauts. I.e., the unnatural movements permitted in the open spaces of the workshop entrained more complex interactions of unusual vestibular and visual stimuli than did those in the CM. The observed reduced liability to kinetosis relative to earth may be due to absence of the gravity stimulus to the otolith organs.

Graybiel, A.↗