Head Impulse Test Paradigm and Suppression Head Impulse Test Paradigm in Individuals With and Without Motion Sickness

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to assess the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) gain using both the Head Impulse Test Paradigm (HIMP) and Suppressive Head Impulse Test Paradigm (SHIMP) in individuals with motion sickness. Method Fifty eight participants (58 females) in the age range of 18–25 years were recruited for the study. The participants were divided into two groups, Group A had 29 participants with no motion sickness, and Group B consisted of 29 individuals who had motion sickness. All the participants underwent HIMP and SHIMP testing. Results None of the participants had a presence of saccades in the HIMP technique, and all the participants in both the groups had anticompensatory saccades in SHIMP technique. Also, there was no difference in VOR gain or VOR gain asymmetry between individuals with and without motion sickness using HIMP and SHIMP Techniques. Conclusions The results of the study show no differences in VOR gain between individuals with and without motion sickness. It has been reported that only low frequencies trigger the motion sickness. Since the Video Head Impulse Test assesses the high frequency, it may not be an ideal technique to evaluate the vestibular system in individuals with motion sickness.