Postural instability precedes motion sickness
Abstract
We evaluated the hypothesis that postural instability precedes the onset of motion sickness. Subjects standing in a "moving room" were exposed to nearly global oscillating optical flow. In the experimental condition, the optical oscillations were a complex sum-of-sines between 0.1 and 0.3 Hz, with an excursion of 1.8 cm. This optical motion was of such low frequency and magnitude that it was sometimes not noticed by subjects. However, in two experiments, exposure to the moving room produced significant increases in scores on a standard motion sickness questionnaire. In addition, approximately half of subjects reported motion sickness. Analysis of postural motion during exposure to the moving room revealed increases in postural sway before the onset of subjective motion sickness symptoms. This confirms a key prediction of the postural instability theory of motion sickness.
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As postural instability increases, motion sickness will develop.
“The concept is that as postural instability increases, motion sickness will develop (Smart et al. 1998; Stoffregen and Smart 1998).”
From Motion sickness: more than nausea and vomiting (2014) · cites this paper as Stoffregen and Smart 1998
The occurrence of VIMS is tightly linked to the occurrence of vection, in the sense that VIMS does not seem to occur in participants who do not perceive vection.
“These and other results (e.g., Lee et al., 1997; Stoffregen and Smart, 1998; Classen et al., 2011) indicate that the occurrence of VIMS is tightly linked to the occurrence of vection, in the sense that VIMS does not seem to occur in participants who do not perceive vection.”
From Vection and visually induced motion sickness: how are they related? (2015) · cites this paper as Stoffregen and Smart, 1998
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- Authors
- Stoffregen, T. A., & Smart, L. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stoffregen, Thomas A
- Venue
- Brain Research Bulletin
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1998-11
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 437-448
- ISSN
- 0361-9230 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2004885620
- Cited by
- 333
- References
- 54
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 1.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Brain Research Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Nausea and vomiting management
- Keywords
- motion sickness, postural instability, postural sway, optical flow, visual motion perception, vestibular perception
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Physiological, Adolescent, Adult, Electric Stimulation, Female, Humans, Male, Motion Sickness, Posture
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