Anxiety and Motion Sickness Susceptibility May Influence the Ability to Update Orientation in the Horizontal Plane of Healthy Subjects.

Few studies have evaluated the influence of idiosyncrasies that may influence the judgment of space-time orientation after passive motion. We designed a study to assess the influence of anxiety/depression (which may distort time perception), motion sickness susceptibility (which has been related to vestibular function, disorientation, and to the velocity storage mechanism), and personal habits on the ability to update orientation, after passive rotations in the horizontal plane. Eighty-one healthy adults (22-64 years old) accepted to participate. After they completed an in-house general health/habits questionnaire, the short Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, they were exposed to 10 manually driven whole-body rotations (45°, 90°, or 135°), in a square room, with distinctive features on the walls, while seated in the normal upright position, unrestrained, with noise-attenuating headphones and blindfolded. After each rotation, they were asked to report which wall or corner they were facing. To calculate the error of estimation of orientation, the perceived rotation was subtracted from the actual rotation. Multivariate analysis showed that the estimation error of the first rotation was strongly related to the results of the orientation test. The magnitude and the frequency of estimation errors of orientation were independently related to HADS anxiety sub-score and to adult motion sickness susceptibility, with no influence of age, but a contribution from the interaction of the use of spectacles, the quality of sleep and sex. The results suggest that idiosyncrasies may contribute to the space-time estimation of passive self-motion, with influence from emotional traits, adult motion sickness susceptibility, experience, and possibly sleep quality.

Acute Stress in Health Workers during Two Consecutive Epidemic Waves of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked generalized uncertainty around the world, with health workers experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia, and stress. Although the effects of the pandemic on mental health may change as it evolves, the majority of reports have been web-based, cross-sectional studies. We performed a study assessing acute stress in frontline health workers during two consecutive epidemic waves. After screening for trait anxiety/depression and dissociative experiences, we evaluated changes in acute stress, considering resilience, state anxiety, burnout, depersonalization/derealization symptoms, and quality of sleep as cofactors. During the first epidemic wave (April 2020), health workers reported acute stress related to COVID-19, which was related to state anxiety. After the first epidemic wave, acute stress decreased, with no increase during the second epidemic wave (December 2020), and further decreased when vaccination started. During the follow-up (April 2020 to February 2021), the acute stress score was related to bad quality of sleep. However, acute stress, state anxiety, and burnout were all related to trait anxiety/depression, while the resilience score was invariant through time. Overall, the results emphasize the relevance of mental health screening before, during, and after an epidemic wave of infections, in order to enable coping during successive sanitary crises.

Derealization and motion-perception related to repeated exposure to 3T Magnetic Resonance Image scanner in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning can induce psychological effects. No studies have investigated the role of magnetic vestibular stimulation (MVS) in 3TMRI scanner-induced psychological reactions. OBJECTIVE: To assess depersonalization/derealization (DD), state anxiety and motion-perception in a 3TMRI scanner, acutely and long-term. PARTICIPANTS: 48 healthcare professionals and students were included, after preliminary rejection of claustrophobes and neuro-otology and psychiatry assessments. PROCEDURES: Participants completed questionnaires on personal habits, dissociation, anxiety/depression and motion sickness susceptibility. Validated DD and state anxiety questionnaires were administered before and after magnetic exposure twice, entering the bore head and feet first in random order, one week apart. During the following week, dizziness/disorientation was reported daily. One month later, 11 subjects repeated the procedure to assess reproducibility. RESULTS: Considerable individual susceptibility was observed, circa 40% of the subjects reported self-motion perception related to the exposure, with variable increase on DD symptoms. Multivariate analysis showed that DD scores after any exposure were influenced by entering the bore "feet first", motion-perception, and the mean sleep hours/week (MANCOVA, R = 0.58, p = 0.00001). There was no clear effect of scanner exposure on state anxiety, which was related to trait anxiey but not to DD scores. During repeated exposures, about half of all subjects re-entering the scan reported motion-perception, but DD or anxiety symptoms were not consistent. CONCLUSION: Psychological effects during 3TMRI scanning result from multiple, interacting factors, including novelty of the procedure (first-exposure effect), motion-perception due to MVS, head/body orientation, sleeping habits and individual susceptibility. Forewarning subjects of these predisposing factors may increase tolerance to MRI scanning.