Effects of anti-motion sickness drugs on motion sickness in rats

Pica, the eating of nonnutritive substances such as kaolin, can be induced by rotation in rats. We used this rotation-induced pica as a behavioral index of motion sickness in rats and examined whether diphenhydramine, methamphetamine and scopolamine, which are anti-motion sickness drugs for humans, are effective for reducing motion sickness in rats. Intraperitoneal injection of diphenhydramine or methamphetamine suppressed the rotation-induced kaolin intake of rats. Intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine had no effect on the rotation-induced kaolin intake, but its transdermal administration reduced this kaolin intake. These findings show that human anti-motion sickness drugs also prevent motion sickness in rats. Since the pharmacological mechanisms for preventing motion sickness in rats and humans are similar, we conclude that rats are a suitable animal model for use in studies on putative anti-motion sickness drugs.