Virtual reality (VR) increasingly causes motion sickness, yet physiological mechanisms and individual susceptibility factors remain unclear. Understanding autonomic nervous system responses and their relationship to vestibular function is crucial for developing safer VR applications....
No actionable change for clinical audiologists at this stage — this is a basic-science/exploratory study; findings may eventually inform vestibular assessment or VR therapy design but are not yet practice-ready.
Identifying autonomic (nervous system) and vestibular predictors of motion sickness susceptibility could guide the development of safer VR-based vestibular rehabilitation protocols and patient screening tools.
- 01Heart rate variability (HRV) — a measure of how the nervous system controls the heart — was recorded during a VR roller coaster ride.
- 02HRV changes were correlated with objective vestibular (inner ear balance) function measures.
- 03Study explores individual differences in motion sickness susceptibility.
- 04Published in Scientific Reports (Nature portfolio), a broad peer-reviewed journal.
- 05Findings are exploratory/correlational and do not establish causation.
Heart rate variability dynamics during VR exposure correlate with vestibular function measures.
studyunclearAutonomic response patterns are associated with individual motion sickness susceptibility.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42062472
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-026-50827-1.
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adults exposed to a virtual reality roller coaster stimulus, assessed for vestibular function and motion sickness susceptibility
- Intervention
- Virtual reality roller coaster exposure
Primary outcomes
Heart rate variability dynamics during VR exposure; Correlation between HRV and vestibular function measures; Motion sickness susceptibility scores