Gastrointestinal motor and myoelectric correlates of motion sickness. Am J Physiol 1999 Sep;277(3):G642-52
Date
09/14/1999Pubmed ID
10484390DOI
10.1152/ajpgi.1999.277.3.G642Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0032871232 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 44 CitationsAbstract
The objectives of this study were to characterize the digestive tract motor and myoelectric responses associated with motion sickness. Twenty-two cats (1.5-3.0 kg) were chronically implanted with force transducers and electrodes on the stomach and small intestine. Motion sickness was activated by vertical oscillation (VO) at +/-0.5 g and identified as salivation, licking, or vomiting. Vomiting was initiated chemically by UK-14304 (2.5-15 microg/kg iv) or CuSO4 (10-50 mg ig). We found that VO caused vomiting (45% of trials), a decrease in gastrointestinal (GI) motility (69% of trials), salivation or licking (59% of trials), bradygastria (39% of trials), retrograde giant contraction (RGC, 43% of trials), giant migrating contraction (GMC, 5% of trials), and defecation (18% of trials). The decrease in GI motility occurred with (62% of trials) or without (69% of trials) vomiting. Motion sickness was accompanied by bradygastria (52% of trials) and decreased GI motility (70% of trials). Similar events occurred after CuSO4 and UK-14304, but the incidences of responses after CuSO4 were less frequent, except for vomiting, RGC, and GMC. UK-14304 never caused GMCs or defecation. The magnitude and velocity of the RGC were the same during all emetic stimuli, and RGCs never occurred without subsequent vomiting. Supradiaphragmatic vagotomy (n = 1) or atropine (n = 2, 10 or 50 microg/kg iv) blocked the RGC, but not vomiting, due to VO. We concluded that 1) oculovestibular stimulation causes digestive tract responses similar to other types of emetic stimuli, 2) decreased GI motility and bradygastria may be physiological correlates of the motion sickness, and 3) motion sickness may not be dependent on any specific GI motor or myoelectric response.
Author List
Lang IM, Sarna SK, Shaker RAuthors
Ivan M. Lang DVM, PhD Adjunct Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinReza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsAtropine Derivatives
Brimonidine Tartrate
Cats
Copper Sulfate
Digestive System
Female
Gastrointestinal Motility
Male
Motion Sickness
Myoelectric Complex, Migrating
Quinoxalines
Salivation
Vagotomy
Vomiting