People prone to motion sickness are well aware that they should choose the front seats of a car or avoid the back of a bus. Without a doubt, seasicknessalso known as seasicknessThere is much more traffic in these places, but why?
To answer this question, we must first remember what causes motion sickness. In general terms, this is the reaction of our central nervous system to confusing signal reception. At the same time, information is received from our limbswhich indicates that we are stopped, eyeswho see a still image of the interior of a car or bus, as well as vestibular system, which signals that we are moving. This is a system located in the inner ear that is responsible for sensing movement and maintaining balance. And of course, in this case it is he who creates the conflict.
If our nervous system receives confusing signsmay produce a response like indigestion, decreased body temperature and dizziness. The famous motion sickness. This is how the brain warns us that something is wrong and tries to balance the signals. Not all people are equally inclined, since each of us has a different threshold at which the same sensory signal will cause appropriate reactions.
People prone to seasickness have very low threshold according to signals from the vestibular system. In fact, they also tend to experience dizziness in other situations, such as when walking on a treadmill. The good part is that there are certain things that can be done to prevent or minimize motion sickness, and one of them is to choose exactly where on the bus or car we sit.
What happens behind the bus and car?
We have already seen that motion sickness occurs when signals from the vestibular system, vision and muscles conflict. This conflict occurs when we perceive movement that we do not see. That’s why, the more movement perceived, the more severe the dizziness will be.
In that back seat of a car We can hardly see the road. In general, the view reflects the image of the car interior, completely motionless. The same thing happens on the bus. We can look out the window, but in general, if we are in the back of the bus, it will be more difficult for us to see moving images that correspond to what the vestibular system receives. But also, right behind you feel a lot more movement due to inertia of the car. If we add to this that the vibration on the wheels is greater when sitting in the back of the bus, on top of the wheelthis is a very bad idea if we usually get motion sickness.
Solutions for seasickness
We have already seen that to avoid motion sickness, it is recommended to sit in the front of the car.
We must also avoid read or watch screens, because the signals that vision will send to our brain will be even more confusing. And, of course, there is the drug option.
Most used drug
Of the possible pharmacological options, the most widely used, sold without a prescription in pharmacies, is Biodramin, the active substance of which is dimenhydrinate. This is a systemic antihistamine or, in other words, an antihistamine that acts on the entire body, and not specifically on one device or system.
antihistamines They are usually associated with the treatment of allergies, since the histamines they inhibit play a very important role in allergic reactions generated by the immune system. But they also have other functions. For example, some histamines act as neurotransmitters, facilitating the transport of signals between neurons. Therefore, since motion sickness is caused by too much conflicting information passing through neurons, it might be helpful to slow down all that traffic a little.
The problem is that although Biodramin is completely safe, it can cause side effects such as severe drowsiness. This problem can be solved by adding caffeine to the recipe, but this step could be avoided with other drugs, such as those that could be developed based on the results of a new study conducted by scientists from Autonomous University of Barcelona.
These researchers found the neurons that generate motion sickness and saw how to target them specifically. through drugs.
To come to this conclusion, they first tested whether it could be cause dizziness in mice. They were placed in plastic tubes, attached to rotating cords, and then their reactions were tested. They did not want to eat, probably because they felt dizzy, and their body temperature dropped noticeably. Anyone who typically suffers from motion sickness knows the cold sweat associated with a drop in temperature.
Once they were proven to be a good model organism, several groups of neurons associated with this organism were suppressed one by one. vestibular system. In each case, the rotation in the test tube was repeated and it was checked whether the mice remained dizzy.
The protein that changes everything
In this experiment, they saw that by inactivating a group of specific neurons, dizziness stopped. These neurons differ from others in that they specifically express a gene encoding a protein called VGLUT2. That is, although all cells in our body have instructions for synthesizing this protein, the only ones that use and synthesize them are neurons.
It was also observed that artificially activating these neurons in resting mice produced symptoms similar to those of motion sickness. Moreover, it was observed that of all these neurons, the ones most associated with symptoms were those that contained a receptor called SSK-A.
Thus, a drug that can block this receptor may interfere with the action of VGLUT2 and prevent motion sickness. They also tested it on mice and the results were very positive.
Thus, in the future this drug may become ideal alternative to biodramin. And, unlike dimenhydrinate, this medicine will work in a very specific way, avoiding unwanted symptoms such as drowsiness.
While this is a good thing, for some it is an undesirable symptom. Because getting a good night’s sleep on public transport won’t hurt anyone. Especially if you are in the back of the bus and prone to seasickness.
Source: Hiper Textual
