Motion sickness susceptibility to optokinetic rotation correlates to past history of motion sickness.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated correlations between motion sickness susceptibility to a rotating optokinetic drum and past history of motion sickness.


METHODS
There were 49 subjects who filled out a questionnaire on motion sickness history (MSH) who participated in the experiment. Each subject sat in an optokinetic drum for a 12-min baseline and a 12-min drum rotation period. Subjects' motion sickness symptoms (MSS) and electrogastrograms (EGG's) were measured.


RESULTS
There were significant correlations between MSH scores and MSS scores during drum rotation (r = 0.5392, p < 0.001), and between MSH scores and EGG 4-9 cycles per minute (cpm) spectral intensity ratios between drum rotation and baseline periods (r = 0.5320, p < 0.001). Further analysis indicated that the mean MSS scores during the drum rotation period were 11.50 for the top 33% MSH scorers, 4.18 for the middle 34% MSH scorers, and 3.63 for the bottom 33% MSH scorers. The mean EGG 4-9 cpm spectral intensity ratios between drum rotation and baseline periods were 2.62 for the top 33% MSH scorers, 1.44 for the middle 34% MSH scorers, and 1.21 for the bottom 33% MSH scorers.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicated that past history of motion sickness correlates with severity of motion sickness provoked by optokinetic rotation.
Hu
S
S
Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
Glaser
K M
KM
Hoffman
T S
TS
Stanton
T M
TM
Gruber
M B
MB
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009041:Motion Sickness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012399:Rotation