Patients who suffer from motion-sickness, visual vertigo and other conditions relating to visual hypersensitivity will often feel dizzy when exposed to rapid visual motion or cluttered fields-of-view. Previous studies indicate that attentiveness to these stimuli influence the intensity of discomfort for these individuals, which suggests that mentally ignoring visual stimuli might help make them more tolerable. This thesis project had two goals. The primary goal was the development of a visual biofeedback system for use with a commercial electroencephalographic headset and a personal computer. The secondary goal was to evaluate its usefulness for treating motion-sickness and other related illnesses through regular training sessions. A neurofeedback program was constructed using MATLAB and a Muse 2 Brain Sensing Headband (Muse). The program projected a spinning maze like pattern on a monitor where increase in velocity was proportional to increase in theta wave activity (3.5-6.5 Hz) detected by the Muse. Five test subjects (three men and two women) were given a copy of the program and a Muse, and then instructed to practice reducing their EEG activity (e.g. by calming themselves), which would be reflected in the program as a slower spin velocity of the maze. These practice sessions took place daily for seven days. Neurofeedback proficiency and body sway data was collected before and after. Mean spectral power data from the training regimen shows a 23.7% drop in theta wave activity from first session to last (p = 0.005). Using Pearson’s correlation, no significant results were obtained while comparing training improvements and proficiency test improvements (r = -0.22, p = 0.72) or reduction in body sway (r = 0.78, p = 0.12).

This study investigates the impact of peripheral visual information in alleviating motion sickness when engaging in non-driving tasks in fully automated driving. A peripheral visual feedforward system (PVFS) was designed providing information about the upcoming actions of the automated car in the periphery of the occupant’s attention. It was hypothesized that after getting the information from the PVFS, the users’ situation awareness is improved while motion sickness is prevented from developing. The PVFS was also assumed not to increase mental workload nor interrupt the performance of the non-driving tasks. The study was accomplished on an actual road using a Wizard of Oz technique deploying an instrumented car that behaved like a real fully automated car. The test rides using the current setup and methodology indicated high consistency in simulating the automated driving. Results showed that with PVFS, situation awareness was enhanced and motion sickness was lessened while mental workload was unchanged. Participants also indicated high hedonistic user experience with the PVFS. While providing peripheral information showed positive results, further study such as delivering richer information and active head movement are possibly needed.

Den här studien undersöker i vilken grad 360° video betraktad i en HMD kan ha för livskvalitetshöjande effekt på boende inom äldreomsorgen i Malmö. Ensamhet och depression är ett av de vanligaste hälsoproblemen bland personer över 65 år idag. En av anledningarna till detta är fysiska och psykiska hinder som minskar möjligheterna för dem att kontinuerligt delta i sociala sammanhang och få ett miljöbyte. Med 360° video kan vad som helst upplevas och med en HMD kan känslan av att vara närvarande på platsen förstärkas. Med hjälp av denna teknik har ett prototyptest utförts på 2 olika äldreboende i Malmö där 9 stycken deltagare har fått testa att betrakta 360° video i en HMD, i form av olika utflyktsmål i Malmö som har skapats som prototyp i denna studie. Utifrån observationer, ”think-aloud”-tekniken och enkätsvar har slutsatserna kunnat dras att prototyptestet behöver göras under en längre period för att påvisa ett säkert resultat om vilken livshöjande effekt 360° video kan ha på de boende. Resultatet av testet kunde även påvisa en ökad positivitet om deltagarna fick se en plats de besökt tidigare. / This study examines the degree to which 360 ° video viewed in an HMD can have a life-quality enhancing effect on residents of elderly care in Malmö. Loneliness and depression are one of the most common health problems today among people with an age over 65. One of the reasons for this is physical and mental barriers that reduces the opportunities for them to continuously participate in social contexts and get an environmental change. With 360° video, anything can be experienced and with an HMD the feeling of being present on the site can be enhanced. With the help of this technique, a prototype test has been performed on 2 different retirement homes in Malmö where 9 participants have been tested to view 360° video in an HMD, in the form of various excursion destinations in Malmö that have been created as a prototype in this study. Based on observations, think-aloud technology and questionnaire responses, the conclusions have been drawn that the test needs to be done for a longer period to be able to demonstrate a safe result on which life-enhancing effect 360° video can have on the residents. The result of the test could also show an increased positivity if the participants saw a place they visited in the past.

No / In the present study, we investigated the effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-HT receptor agonists and antagonists on motion sickness in Suncus murinus, and the possibility that the emetic stimulus of 5-HT can alter the sensitivity of the animals to the different emetic stimulus of motion sickness. 5-HT (1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mg/kg ip) induced emesis and that was antagonised by methysergide (1.0 mg/kg ip), the 5-HT4receptor antagonist sulphamate[1-[2-[(methylsulphonyl)amino]ethyl]-4-piperidinyl]methyl-5-fluoro-2-methoxy-1H-indole-3-carboxylate (GR125487D; 1.0 mg/kg ip) and granisetron (0.5 mg/kg ip). Pretreatment with 5-HT caused a dose-related attenuation of the emetic response induced by a subsequent motion stimulus, which was not significantly modified by methysergide, granisetron or GR125487D pretreatment. (+)-1-(2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-amino-propane (DOI; 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg ip), 8-hydroxy-2(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT; 0.1 mg/kg ip) but not methysergide, GR125487D or granisetron, attenuated motion-induced emesis, and that was not affected by pretreatment with ketanserin (2.0 mg/kg, ip) or N-{2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl}-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide trihydrocholoride (WAY-100635; 1.0 mg/kg ip), respectively. Indeed, ketanserin alone (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg ip) attenuated motion sickness. These data indicate that 5-HT1/2, 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 receptors are involved in the induction of 5-HT-induced emesis. However, agonist action at the 5-HT1A/7 and 5-HT2 receptors, and antagonist action at the 5-HT2A receptors can attenuate motion sickness in S. murinus.

Le vertige (V), l'étourdissement (E) et l'instabilité (I) sont des symptômes fréquents, traditionnellement considérés comme ayant des étiologies vestibulaires et extra-vestibulaires différentes. La prévalence de chaque symptôme et la manière dont ils sont liés entre eux ainsi qu'avec la migraine, l'agoraphobie, la susceptibilité au mal des transports (SMT), le malaise vagal (MV), l'anxiété/dépression (AD) et la prise de médicaments, ont été l'objet de cette étude. Un questionnaire auto-administré a été complété par 2897 adultes de la population lorraine, âgés de 18 à 86 ans, dont 1471 femmes. La prévalence sur un an du V était de 48,3%, celle de l'I de 39,1% et celle de l'E de 35,6%. Les VEI étaient corrélés entre eux et apparaissaient en général en diverses combinaisons (69,4%) ; 90% des épisodes de VEI avaient une durée inférieure ou égale à 2 mn et une fréquence < 1/mois. Les trois symptômes étaient similaires concernant leur prédominance féminine, le profil temporaire des épisodes et le lien avec les chutes et les nausées. Les VEI augmentaient avec le nombre de médicaments indépendamment de l'âge. Chaque VEI était corrélé avec chaque co-morbidité. Les facteurs de risque étaient pour l'agoraphobie : AD>sexe féminin>VEI, pour la SMT : sexe féminin > AD > migraine. En ajustant sur les trois VEI entre eux, le V reste un facteur de risque significatif pour chaque co-morbidité, suggérant que le V est un symptôme aussi peu spécifique que les deux autres et que les VEI représentent un spectre de symptômes résultant de diverses causes / Vertigo (V), dizziness (D) and unsteadiness (U) are common symptoms traditionally considered to result from different kinds of vestibular and non-vestibular dysfunctions. The prevalence of each symptom and how they relate to each other and to migraine, agoraphobia, motion sickness susceptibility (MSS), vaso-vagal episodes (VVE) and anxiety-depression (AD) was the object of this population-based study in north-eastern France. A self-administered questionnaire was returned by 2987 adults (age span 18-86 years, 1471 women). The 1-year prevalence for V was 48.3%, for U 39.1% and for D 35.6%. The VDU symptoms were correlated with each other, occurred mostly (69.4%) in various combinations rather than in isolation, less than once per month, and 90% of episodes lasted < or = 2 minutes and occurred < 1/month. The three symptoms were similar in terms of female predominance, temporary profile of the episodes and their link to falls and nausea. Symptom associations including I and symptom episodes of >1 hour increased the risk of falls. The number of drugs taken increased VDU even when controlling for age. Each VDU symptom was correlated with each co-morbidity. The risk factors were for agoraphobia: AD>female gender>VDU; for MSS: female gender>AD>migraine. Logistic regressions controlling for each vestibular symptom showed that V correlated with each co-morbidity, suggesting that V is a symptom as unspecific as the other two and that the three symptoms represent a spectrum resulting from a range of mechanisms or disorders

No description available.

<p>When users begin to experience virtual reality (VR) for the first time, they can be met with some degree of motion sickness and nausea, especially if continuous joystick locomotion is used. The symptoms that are induced during these VR experiences fall under the umbrella term cybersickness, and due to these uncomfortable experiences, these users can get a bad first impression and abandon the innovative technology, not able to fully appreciate the convenience and fascinating adventures VR has to offer. As such, this project compares the effects of two cybersickness mitigation methods (Dynamic Field of View (FOV) and Virtual Reference Frame), both against each other and combined, on user-reported cybersickness symptoms to determine the best combination to implement in commercial applications to help create more user-friendly VR experiences. The hypothesis is that combining the FOV reduction and the resting frame methods can mitigate VR cybersickness more effectively without hindering the user’s experience and the virtual nose method is more potent at mitigating cybersickness compared to dynamic FOV. To test these hypotheses, an experimental game was developed for the Meta Quest 2 with five levels: a tutorial level and four maze levels (one for each scenario). The participants were asked to complete the tutorial level until they got used to the virtual reality controls, and then they were instructed to complete the maze level twice with one of the following conditions for each run: no method, dynamic field of view only, virtual nose only, and dynamic field of view and virtual nose combined. After completing each maze trial, the participants were asked to complete a simulator sickness questionnaire to get their thoughts on how much sickness they felt during the test. Upon concluding the testing phase with 36 participants and compiling the data, the results showed that while the subjects preferred the dynamic FOV method even though they were able to complete the trials significantly faster with the virtual nose method, it is inconclusive regarding which method is truly more effective. Furthermore, the results showed that it is also inconclusive if the scenario with both methods enabled is significantly better or worse than either method used separately.</p>