The feasibility study of objective evaluation of the severity of motion sickness by quantitative analysis of the facial skin color

Abstract

Objective: To explore the feasibility of applying quantitative analysis of the facial skin color to evaluate the severity of motion sickness objectively and to seek objective indicators that can reflect the severity of motion sickness. Methods: Motion sickness was induced in 51 male adult subjects recruited at the Air Force Medical University by Coriolis acceleration stimulation, and facial skin colorimetric values were acquired using a portable spectrophotometer at five time points: before stimulation and at 0 min, 10 min, 20 min and 30 min after the end of stimulation. The Graybiel rating scales were applied to assess the severity of motion sickness in subjects at each time point after stimulation, and the correlation between the magnitude of change in each colorimetric value and the maximum Graybiel's score was analyzed. The ROC curves were used to compare the evaluation performance of colorimetric value indicators which could reflect the severity of motion sickness. Results: Each colorimetric value in the CIE-L*a*b* color system changed significantly after exposure to provocative motion stimuli, and the trend was consistent with the typical sign of pallor in motion sickness. The magnitudes of the increase in the colorimetric value CIE-L*, the decrease in CIE-a*, and the increase in CIE-b* were all significantly and positively correlated with the maximum of Graybiel's scores (r=0.490 0, P=0.000 3; r=0.549 3, P<0.000 1; r=0.540 9, P<0.000 1). Comparing the performance of three colorimetric indicators to assess the severity of motion sickness, CIE-a* had an area under the ROC curve of 0.875 0, a sensitivity of 85.71%, and a specificity of 87.50%, which was better than CIE-L* and CIE-b*. Conclusions: The CIE-L*a*b* colorimeter values can be considered as objective indicators of the severity of motion sickness, among which the colorimetric indicator CIE-a* has the most diagnostic significance, and the method of quantitative analysis of the facial skin color can provide a new reference for the objective evaluation of the severity of motion sickness.