Motion Sickness

Kinetosis, better known as motion sickness, is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement.  But why does it happen?  The most common hypothesis for the cause of motion sickness is that it functions as a defense mechanism against neurotoxins.  Really, would I kid you?

The "area postrema" in the brain is responsible for inducing vomiting when poisons are detected, and for resolving conflicts between vision and balance. When feeling motion but not seeing it (for example, in a ship with no windows), the inner ear transmits to the brain that it senses motion, but the eyes tell the brain that everything is still. As a result of the discordance, the brain will come to the conclusion that one of them is hallucinating and further conclude that the hallucination is due to poison ingestion. The brain responds by inducing vomiting to clear the supposed toxin.

Great...now I feel sick.  This week, a look at motion sickness and how to cure it.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find peace of mind is waiting there." – The Beatles, "Within You Without You" (Harrison)

Motion Sickness