Autonomic responses during motion sickness induced by virtual reality

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Physiology
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• Motion sickness is a common issue in virtual reality (VR) experiences.
• Understanding the physiological underpinnings of VR-induced motion sickness is crucial for developing countermeasures.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive measure of autonomic nervous system activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the development of subjective symptoms of motion sickness during VR immersion.
• To analyze changes in heart rate variability (HRV) in response to VR-induced motion sickness.
• To explore the relationship between subjective symptom severity and HRV alterations.

Main Methods:

• Ten healthy young volunteers participated in the study.
• Participants experienced a visual-vestibular conflict within a VR environment.
• Subjective symptoms were assessed using Graybiel's and Hamilton's criteria, while HRV was measured via electrocardiogram.

Main Results:

• Subjective motion sickness symptoms progressively worsened during VR immersion.
• Power spectrum analysis of HRV revealed a significant increase in low-frequency power, indicating heightened sympathetic activity.
• No significant changes were observed in high-frequency power, suggesting stable parasympathetic activity.
• Individual subjective symptom scores did not correlate with individual HRV power spectrum results.

Conclusions:

• VR-induced motion sickness is associated with increased sympathetic nervous system activity.
• Parasympathetic nervous system activity remained unchanged during VR-induced motion sickness.
• The lack of strong correlation between subjective symptoms and HRV may be attributed to significant inter-individual variability and the subjective nature of symptom reporting.