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April 2001
Dizzy
State of Depression — Researcher Addresses
Problem
The lulling
effects of a rocking swing on a baby can be
detrimental to astronauts in flight. The motion
that produces drowsiness with babies has similar
effects on astronauts. John Dornhoffer, M.D.,
associate professor, Department of
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, executive
director of the Prosper Ménière Society, is
investigating the phenomenon, known as Sopite
syndrome. He was recently awarded a grant from
the National Space Biomedical Research Institute
(NSBRI) to further his search to identify
countermeasures to prevent the syndrome.
In addition to
feelings of vertigo and nausea, “space
motion sickness” can cause Sopite syndrome,
which includes lack of motivation to work or
interact with others, drowsiness, fatigue, and
the inability to concentrate. Sopite syndrome is
often a byproduct of dizziness experienced by
astronauts during space travel. Dornhoffer plans
to identify the best medication for treating
space motion sickness and preventing the
occurrence of Sopite syndrome.
The outcomes of
his NSBRI research will be directly applicable to
his patients in Arkansas. “Many of my
patients suffering from vertigo complain of the
same thing astronauts are experiencing — the
depression, the lack of motivation, the inability
to concentrate,” said Dornhoffer. “I
believe it is because the brain is concentrating
so hard on a function it normally does not have
to concentrate on. A neural mismatch occurs
during a period of imbalance, because the eyes
are telling the brain one thing and the ears are
telling it another,” he said.
Dornhoffer, along
with co-investigators Edgar Garcia-Rill, Ph.D.,
Department of Anatomy; Keith Williams, Ph.D.,
Department of Viral Statistics; Merle Paule,
Ph.D., at the National Center for Toxicological
Research; and Paul Van De Heyning, M.D., Ph.D.,
at the University Hospital Antwerp, will test
four FDA approved drugs currently used to treat
vertigo. A rotary chair will be used to simulate
the effects of space motion sickness. Before and
after being spun in the chair, participants will
be asked to perform certain cognitive tests. This
procedure will allow the investigators to assess
both the effects of motion sickness and one of
the study drugs on the volunteer's ability to
perform specific tasks. It will also allow them
to assess the effectiveness of the drug in
alleviating symptoms of motion sickness.
“The rotary chair can serve as a paradigm
for space motion sickness, enabling us to test
drug countermeasures effectively,” said
Dornhoffer.
Dornhoffer expects
to discover a treatment for space motion sickness
by 2003. “The results of this study will
provide immediate measures of treatment at the
onset of space motion sickness,” said
Dornhoffer. “It will also provide a
standardized means of observing the best
treatment for vertigo patients.”
This year NSBRI is
funding 86 one- to three-year projects to be
carried out at 67 institutions involving 250
researchers in 19 states. Selected from a group
of 281 research proposals, each project underwent
rigorous independent peer review by a panel of
scientists not affiliated with the institute. Out
of the 10 proposals submitted from UAMS,
Dornhoffer's was the only one selected.
Inventor of three
devices that alleviate symptoms of hearing loss,
Dornhoffer will continue working to discover ways
to utilize gene therapy in the treatment of
sensorineural hearing loss and research the
etiology and treatment of Ménière's disease. He
said, “My dream I live to see come true
everyday is to help people with hearing
loss.”
Did
You Know?
08/28/01
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