Dec 1 1983
From The Space Library
NASA announced that its scientists studying motion sickness were focusing on a chemical substance in the fluid core of the brain that might cause vomiting. The fact that there might be a chemical link in motion sickness was discovered through NASA's research into the causes of space motion sickness. The research was being conducted at ARC in the Biomedical Research Division and at the new Biomedical Institute at JSC. Studies by Ames scientist Dr. Nancy Daunton and two colleagues at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, showed that blocking the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain stopped motion-induced vomiting and that an incomplete block did not suppress vomiting. The scientists were attempting to isolate the responsible chemical from cerebrospinal fluid.
When a person received sensory cues for motion, the brain responds with its normal, programmed responses to control eye, head, and body movements. But when the responses do not yield the expected results-especially when the visual image does not stabilize and posture control is not easily maintained-humans and animals often experience motion sickness. (NASA Release 83-191)
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