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Motion sickness, nausea and thermoregulation: The "toxic" hypothesis
Eugene Nalivaiko1, John A Rudd2, Richard Hy So3
1School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy; University of Newcastle ; Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
Temperature (Austin, Tex.)
|September 15, 2016
Summary
Motion sickness causes body temperature to drop through sweating and reduced heat production. This hypothermia response, observed in humans and animals, may help measure nausea objectively.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Thermoregulation
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Motion sickness is commonly associated with facial pallor, nausea, vomiting, and sweating.
- Its impact on thermoregulation is less recognized but has been documented for nearly 150 years.
- Recent decades have seen increased research into motion sickness and its thermoregulatory effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and discuss existing data on the effects of motion sickness on human and animal thermoregulation.
- To explore the physiological mechanisms underlying motion sickness-induced hypothermia.
- To examine the potential adaptive role and measurement utility of this thermoregulatory response.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature and experimental data.
- Analysis of human and animal studies on motion sickness and thermoregulation.
- Examination of physiological responses including cutaneous vasodilation, sweating, and thermogenesis.
Main Results:
- Motion sickness induces hypothermia in humans, rats, musk shrews, and mice.
- Key physiological mechanisms include increased heat loss via cutaneous vasodilation and sweating.
- Reduced thermogenesis also contributes to the drop in body temperature.
Conclusions:
- Motion sickness triggers a coordinated physiological response to decrease body temperature.
- This hypothermia is a conserved response across species.
- The motion sickness-induced hypothermia can serve as an objective biomarker for nausea.
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