OBJECTIVE: Seasickness may impose severe limitations on the performance of ships' crew. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) assess the function of the saccule, the organ responsible for monitoring vertical linear acceleration, which has been found to be the most provocative motion stimulus in the evolution of motion sickness. We used the cVEMP test in a prospective evaluation of susceptibility and habituation to seasickness. METHODS: Forty-six naval recruits underwent the cVEMP test before exposure to sea conditions. After 6 months' sailing experience, participants completed a questionnaire evaluating their initial and current seasickness severity. Based on their most recent experience, subjects were divided into three groups: non-vomiting non-habituating (NV-NH), vomiting (V), and non-vomiting habituating (NV-H). RESULTS: Statistically significant lower thresholds for cVEMP were found in subjects who habituated to sea conditions (NV-H), compared with those remaining severely susceptible (V) (77.0 dB HL vs. 84.9 dB HL; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The ability to produce the cVEMP at lower thresholds represents a broader dynamic range, in which the reflex can respond to a wider array of stimuli amplitudes. SIGNIFICANCE: The present study demonstrates the potential of the cVEMP test for predicting future habituation to seasickness.
OBJECTIVE: Seasickness may impose severe limitations on the performance of ships' crew. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) assess the function of the saccule, the organ responsible for monitoring vertical linear acceleration, which has been found to be the most provocative motion stimulus in the evolution of motion sickness. We used the cVEMP test in a prospective evaluation of susceptibility and habituation to seasickness. METHODS: Forty-six naval recruits underwent the cVEMP test before exposure to sea conditions. After 6 months' sailing experience, participants completed a questionnaire evaluating their initial and current seasickness severity. Based on their most recent experience, subjects were divided into three groups: non-vomiting non-habituating (NV-NH), vomiting (V), and non-vomiting habituating (NV-H). RESULTS: Statistically significant lower thresholds for cVEMP were found in subjects who habituated to sea conditions (NV-H), compared with those remaining severely susceptible (V) (77.0 dB HL vs. 84.9 dB HL; p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The ability to produce the cVEMP at lower thresholds represents a broader dynamic range, in which the reflex can respond to a wider array of stimuli amplitudes. SIGNIFICANCE: The present study demonstrates the potential of the cVEMP test for predicting future habituation to seasickness.
Authors: Andreas Koch; Ingolf Cascorbi; Martin Westhofen; Manuel Dafotakis; Sebastian Klapa; Johann Peter Kuhtz-Buschbeck Journal: Dtsch Arztebl Int Date: 2018-10-12 Impact factor: 5.594
Authors: Yoon-Hee Cha; John F Golding; Behrang Keshavarz; Joseph Furman; Ji-Soo Kim; Jose A Lopez-Escamez; Måns Magnusson; Bill J Yates; Ben D Lawson Journal: J Vestib Res Date: 2021 Impact factor: 2.354
Authors: Fabian Heuser; Christian M Schulz; Alexander Hapfelmeier; Nadine Lehnen; Eberhard F Kochs; Klaus J Wagner Journal: BMC Anesthesiol Date: 2016-10-10 Impact factor: 2.217