Motion sickness susceptibility: a retrospective comparison of laboratory tests

A test battery designed primarily to assess vestibular function has been used for several years to evaluate individuals referred to our laboratory. Because some of the test conditions have proved to be nauseogenic to some individuals, methods of assessing disturbance during these procedures have been used to pursue a second goal, viz., the estimation of motion sickness susceptibility. This report, which focuses on the latter goal, is a retrospective comparison of results on three tests obtained from two groups of subjects, one of which was a group of Navy and Marine aviation personnel who had suffered multiple attacks of airsickness. Results from three laboratory tests of motion sickness susceptibility indicated that there are substantial differences between the airsick group and the unselected comparison group on observer ratings and individual self-ratings of motion sickness symptoms. The provocative stimuli in each laboratory test, as well as suggestions concerning how multiple tests may prove effective in predicting motion sickness, are discussed.