Variations in gravitoinertial force level affect the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex - Implications of the etiology of space motion sickness

Recordings of horizontal nystagmus were obtained on 16 male subjects exposed to repeated patterns of horizontal angular acceleration, constant velocity rotation, and sudden-stop deceleration in the laboratory and in the free-fall and high-force periods of parabolic flight. Nystagmus intensity was a clear function of gravitoinertial force level: slow phase velocity and beat frequency increased during exposure to high force levels and decreased in free-fall compared to values obtained at 1 G. These findings indicate that the gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex decreases in free-fall. This fact likely accounts for the disorientation and dizziness sometimes experienced by astronauts when moving their heads in the early phases of orbital flight and again after splashdown. The implications of the present findings, both for the etiology and for the treatment of space motion sickness, are discussed.