Relationship between postural control and motion sickness in healthy subjects

This study examined the relationship between reported susceptibility to mot ion sickness, anxious personality and postural control. Postural stability was assessed in 34 healthy subjects standing with eyes open, eyes closed an d viewing a disorienting virtual reality display. These measures were repea ted with vibration of the calf muscles to distort the somatosensory feedbac k from the legs. Susceptibility to motion sickness and anxious personality were evaluated by questionnaire. Greater postural instability was correlate d with susceptibility to motion sickness. Motion sickness susceptibility co rrelated most strongly with increased sway when the visual and somatosensor y feedback was absent or distorted. Anxiety was correlated with reported su sceptibility to motion sickness but not with postural stability. These find ings suggest that deficient perceptual-motor responses to disorienting cond itions may contribute to motion sickness susceptibility. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.