[Circulation and oxygen tension in the brain of the alert rabbit during motion sickness].

Sea sickness in alert rabbits induced an increase in the local blood flow in frontal, occipital and temporal cortex as well as an increase of the total blood flow in the brain. The blood flow increases first in the temporal cortex. The changes occur at an unaltered pO2 level in the brain cortex and hypotensive response. The blood flow increase seems to be due to reflex dilatory effects of the vestibular apparatus on the brain vessels and to intensification of metabolism in result of general activation of cortical structures.