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Semin Neurol 2013; 33(03): 219-230
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1354602
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Vertigo and Dizziness from Environmental Motion: Visual Vertigo, Motion Sickness, and Drivers' Disorientation

Adolfo M. Bronstein
1   Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital, London, United Kingdom
,
John F. Golding
2   Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom
,
Michael A. Gresty
1   Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Neurology, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital, London, United Kingdom
› Author Affiliations
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Publication History

Publication Date:
21 September 2013 (online)

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Abstract

The normal vestibular system may be adversely affected by environmental challenges which have characteristics that are unfamiliar or ambiguous in the patterns of sensory stimulation they provide. A disordered vestibular system lends susceptibility even to quotidian environmental experiences as the sufferer becomes dependent on potentially misleading, nonvestibular sensory stimuli. In both cases, the sequelae may be vertigo, incoordination, imbalance, and unpleasant autonomic responses. Common environmental motion conditions include visual vertigo, motion sickness, and motorists' disorientation. The core therapy for visual vertigo, motion sickness, and drivers' disorientation is progressive desensitization within a cognitive framework of reassurance and explanation, plus anxiolytic tactics and autogenic control of autonomic symptoms.

Keywords

motion sickness - vestibular - visual motion - driving
 

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