It is difficult to study motion sickness, because this disease has no trustworthy signs in the early stage. Nausea and vomiting are most common symptoms, but nausea is not the objective sign and vomiting is not seen in the early stage.
This experiment was planned to find out the sign that was trustworthy and objective in the early stage.
As the stimulation in this experiment, vertical acceleration was used. The apparatus for vertical acceleration is a chair which is hanged by four springs in a steel frame. Vertical swing is given by pushing down the chair with hands. The dimension of acceleration depends on the weight of a subject and amplitude of the swing. When a subject is 50 kg and amplitude is 10 cm, the greatest acceleration becomes 360 cm/sec
2 and the frequency is 57 per minute. Then the swing continues more than one minute decreasing its amplitude.
The subjects were the students of the nurses training school of Kyushu University. They were divided into two groups. One was the group that often suffers from motion sickness and the other was the group that had done not suffer from it.
The changes of the pulse, respiration, GSR, salvation and galvanic skin resistance caused by the swing of chair were examined.
Experiment 1.
Examinations of autonomic nervous system before the swing.
1. Aschner's eye ball pressure test.
2. spontaneous reaction of GSR.
3. GSR reaction by Essen's method.
4. Abe's breath holding test (BHT).
During the swing that was given five series of greatest amplitude 10 cm each minute.
5. frequency of pulse.
6. frequency of respiration.
7. appearance of GSR.
During the swing, the greatest amplitude was changed at each swing 6 cm, 10 cm and 14 cm.
8. type of pneumotachogram.
9. duration rate of expiration against inspiration.
10. respiratory volume per minute.
After the swing.
11. Aschner's test.
12. Essen's method.
13. Abe's BHT.
The Abe's breath holding test (BHT) is as follows: At first tell a subject to hold his breath as long as he can do (BHT-A). When he will be unable to hold his breath, tell him to draw about ten deep breaths, then ask him to hold his breath again (BHT-B).
Experiment 2.
For thirty minutes, the salivation of a parotid gland and galvanic skin resistance were measured each three minutes before the swing and during the swing. The greatest amplitude of the swing was 10 cm. At measurement of salivation, Krasnogrski's capsule was used. It consists of two chambers. The inner chamber is for gathering saliva and leading it to a small measuring cylinder. The outer chamber is for fixing the capsule on the orifice of Stenon's duct.
Results:
Pulse, respiration, expiratory rate, GSR, skin resistance and salivation showed no significant changes by the swing in both groups. Only respiratory volume indicated a marked increase in subjects with liability to motion sickness (MS subj.) and not in controls.
The tests before the swing, Aschner's test, Abe's BHT, respiratory volume and salivation showed a significant difference between MS subj. and control subjects. The subjects who showed the positive reaction at Aschner's test did not suffer from motion sickness. The controls' BHT-A, BHT-B and BHT (B-A) were significantly longer than MS subj.'s. Controls had much more respiratory volume and less salivation. Thus it seems to be clear that the difference between MS subj. and control subjects bases on autonomic nervous system.
Conclusion.
1) As the index of motion sickness, volume of respiration is valuable to study.
2) The difference of susceptibility between the subjects with liability to motion sickness and control subjects may be based on some factors in autonomic nervous function.
3) Abe's breath holding test is a most useful to examine whether the subjects is liable to suffer from motion sickness or not.
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