Research Strategies for Motion and Space Sickness

Research is urged for several motion sickness topics now receiving relatively little attention. The role of the area postrema, if any, is not completely resolved. The hypothesis that the cerebral spinal fluid might be a necessary neurochemical conduit should be confirmed or put to rest. It is surprising that the cerebellum, implicated more than 40 years ago, has not been reevaluated for its role in motion sickness in view of the explosion of new data on this structure. The sensory rearrangement theory, known by several names, needs direct experimental verification. One such experiment should determine if vestibular input is an essential element. Data interpretation problems related to rates of adaptation, often a consideration in sensory rearrangement experiments, are explored. The most exciting gains are to be achieved through neuropharmacologic approaches, particularly by exploiting the unique advantages offered by animal models.