Front Psychol. 2015 Apr 20;6:472. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00472. eCollection 2015.

Vection and visually induced motion sickness: how are they related?

Keshavarz B¹, Riecke BE², Hettinger LJ³, Campos JL⁴.

Author information

1: Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology (iDAPT), Research Department, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network , Toronto, ON, Canada.
2: School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University , Surrey, BC, Canada.
3: Center for Behavioral Sciences, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety , Hopkinton, MA, USA.
4: Intelligent Design for Adaptation, Participation and Technology (iDAPT), Research Department, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network , Toronto, ON, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON, Canada.

Abstract

The occurrence of visually induced motion sickness has been frequently linked to the sensation of illusory self-motion (vection), however, the precise nature of this relationship is still not fully understood. To date, it is still a matter of debate as to whether vection is a necessary prerequisite for visually induced motion sickness (VIMS). That is, can there be VIMS without any sensation of self-motion? In this paper, we will describe the possible nature of this relationship, review the literature that addresses this relationship (including theoretical accounts of vection and VIMS), and offer suggestions with respect to operationally defining and reporting these phenomena in future.