Affiliations: [a] Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199, USA | [b] Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: John L. Dornhoffer, Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, MS 543, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199, USA. Tel.: +1 501 686 5016; Fax: +1 501 686 8029; E-mail: DornhofferJohnL@uams.edu
Abstract: Sopite syndrome, characterized by loss of initiative, sensitivity to normally innocuous sensory stimuli, and impaired concentration amounting to a sensory gating deficit, is commonly associated with Space Motion Sickness (SMS). The amplitude of the P50 potential is a measure of level of arousal, and a paired-stimulus paradigm can be used to measure sensory gating. We used the rotary chair to elicit the sensory mismatch that occurs with SMS by overstimulating the vestibular apparatus. The effects of rotation on the manifestation of the P50 midlatency auditory evoked response were then assessed as a measure of arousal and distractibility. Results showed that rotation-induced motion sickness produced no change in the level of arousal but did produce a significant deficit in sensory gating, indicating that some of the attentional and cognitive deficits observed with SMS may be due to distractibility induced by decreased habituation to repetitive stimuli.
Keywords: arousal, rotary chair, sleep, Sopite syndrome, space motion sickness
