The test subjects had to spend ten minutes on the "rocking chair"
A research group at the British Imperial College London is confident that they have found the recipe against motion sickness: mild electrical shocks to the scalp are said to have a positive effect on the areas in the brain that process movement signals. Because the unanimous opinion on the cause of the annoying evil in wind and waves is that the brain rebels in the event of contradicting information from the eyes and the balance organ in the inner ear and ultimately causes the nausea. Already in YACHT 15/10, the scientist Dr. Michael Gresty reports, who conducts research at Imperial College London and is jointly responsible for the latest findings.
In contrast to drugs based on active ingredients such as dimenhydrinate and scopolamine, the new therapy should not cause the known side effects such as leaden fatigue. The application is harmless, explains Dr. Qadeer Arshad, who led the study: "The electrical surges applied are very light. No negative effects are to be expected from short-term use." In the experiments of the British researchers, who published their results a few days ago in the specialist journal "Neurology", test persons were exposed to nauseating movements in a rotating chair and the reaction was observed with and without the effect of electricity via electrodes on the scalp. Arshad is optimistic that in five to ten years' time it will be possible to buy devices with this type of functionality in pharmacies.
The British Imperial College London claims to have discovered the ultimate solution to seasickness: light electrical impulses on the scalp
A Luxembourg company reports on a supposedly similarly revolutionary method in which DNA chips stuck to the skin are supposed to help against seasickness. In contrast to the British test series, there is no proof of the effectiveness of this application.
The article from YACHT 15/2010 for free download (approx. 8Mb)