title: Optokinetic nystagmus correlates with severity of vection-induced motion sickness and gastric tachyarrhythmia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated the relationship of the frequency of nystagmus to the severity of optokinetic rotation-induced motion sickness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-seven subjects viewed a vertically striped, rotating drum for 16 min. Subjects' electrooculograms, ratings of vection, and subjective symptoms of motion sickness (SSMS) were measured during the drum rotation period. Subjects' electrogastrograms (EGGs) were recorded throughout the baseline and drum rotation periods. The ratios of the spectral intensity of EGG 4-9 cycles per minute (cpm) between drum rotation and baseline periods were calculated. The results indicated that the frequency of nystagmus was positively correlated with the ratings of vection (r = 0.40, p < 0.0001), scores of SSMS (r = 0.61, p < 0.0001), and ratios of EGG 4-9 cpm spectral intensity between drum rotation and baseline periods (r = 0.54, p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrated that more rapid eye movement indexed by higher frequency of optokinetic nystagmus are related to the development of symptoms of motion sickness and gastric tachyarrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004585:Electrooculography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009041:Motion Sickness / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017120:Nystagmus, Optokinetic / Q000502:physiology*; D012399:Rotation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires