Dependence of motion sickness in automobiles on the direction of linear acceleration.

Thirty-eight normal volunteers were tested in an ambulance car while being accelerated in one of the following positions: (1) sitting upright facing forward in the car, (2) lying supine on a stretcher head forward, (3) supine position head backward. Consecutive short period of negative horizontal acceleration (0.7-0.95 g) were achieved by brisk braking manoeuvres of the car, followed by weak reacceleration (0.15 g). Motion sickness symptoms were observed and recorded after each experiment using a special motion sickness scaling index which was weighted according to the strength of any particular symptom. The results indicate that horizontal linear acceleration in a car, such as experienced during multiple breaking manoeuvres, is an effective motion sickness provoking stimulus. Negative X-axis stimulation is more nauseogenic then acceleration in the Z-axis stimulation is more nauseogenic then acceleration in the Z-axis of the body.