Modification of Vestibular Responses as a Function of Rate of Rotation about an Earth-horizontal Axis

Résumé du livre

A study was made to compare nystagmic and subjective responses elicited at 10 RPM with responses elicited at 30 RPM when the axis of rotation was horizontal. When the same subjects were rotated about an Earth -horizontal axis at 10 and 30 RPM, the following differences in responses were noted: (1) Subjects who produced a unidirectional horizontal nystagmus throughout rotation at 10 RPM produced a reversing horizontal nystagmus after an interval (30 - 60 seconds) of rotation at 30 RPM. (2) Subjects, who gave veridical estimates of body orientation at 10 RPM, became disoriented at 30 RPM when nystagmus commenced reversing. At both 10 and 30 RPM a cyclic modulation of nystagmus was related to orientation relative to gravity. As in previous studies, sickness was produced by rotation about a horizontal axis, and a relationship between mental task and incidence of sickness was again noted. (Author).