The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy

The Korean Society of Physical Therapy (대한물리치료학회)
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A Case Study on the Effectiveness of tDCS to Reduce Cyber-Sickness in Subjects with Dizziness

  • Chang Ju Kim (Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science, Cheongju University) ;
  • Yoon Tae Hwang (Department of Physical Therapy, Gangneung Yeongdong University) ;
  • Yu Min Ko (Department of Physical Therapy, Gangneung Yeongdong University) ;
  • Seong Ho Yun (Department of Health, Graduate School, Dankook University) ;
  • Sang Seok Yeo (Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Dankook University)
  • Received : 2024.02.08
  • Accepted : 2024.02.27
  • Published : 2024.02.28
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Abstract

Purpose: Cybersickness is a type of motion sickness induced by virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) environments that presents symptoms including nausea, dizziness, and headaches. This study aimed to investigate how cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) alleviates motion sickness symptoms and modulates brain activity in individuals experiencing cybersickness after exposure to a VR environment. Methods: This study was performed on two groups of healthy adults with cybersickness symptoms. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either cathodal tDCS intervention or sham tDCS intervention. Brain activity during VR stimulation was measured by 38-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). tDCS was administered to the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) for 20 minutes at an intensity of 2mA, and the severity of cybersickness was assessed pre- and post-intervention using a simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ). Result: Following the experiment, cybersickness symptoms in subjects who received cathodal tDCS intervention were reduced based on SSQ scores, whereas those who received sham tDCS showed no significant change. fNIRS analysis revealed that tDCS significantly diminished cortical activity in subjects with high activity in temporal and parietal lobes, whereas high cortical activity was maintained in these regions after intervention in subjects who received sham tDCS. Conclusion: These findings suggest that cathodal tDCS applied to the right TPJ region in young adults experiencing cybersickness effectively reduces motion sickness induced by VR environments.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 한국정부가 지원하는 한국연구재단의 연구비 지원을 받은 연구임(2021R1G1A1095407).

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