CNS–immune system interactions: Conditioning phenomena

Abstract

Converging data from different disciplines indicate that central nervous system processes are capable of influencing immune responses. This paper concentrates on recent studies documenting behaviorally conditioned suppression and enhancement of immunity. Exposing rats or mice to a conditioned stimulus previously paired with an immunomodulating agent results in alterations in humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to antigenic stimuli, and unreinforced reexposures to the conditioned stimuli result in extinction of the conditioned response. Although the magnitude of such conditioning effects has not been large, the phenomenon has been independently verified under a variety of experimental conditions. The biological impact of conditioned alterations in immune function is illustrated by studies in which conditioning operations were applied in the pharmacotherapy of autoimmune disease in New Zealand mice. In conditioned animals, substituting conditioned stimuli for active drugs delays the onset of autoimmune disease relative to nonconditioned animals using a dose of immunosuppressive drug that, by itself, is ineffective in modifying the progression of disease. The hypothesis that such conditioning effects are mediated by elevations in adrenocortical steroid levels receives no support from available data. Despite its capacity for self-regulation, it appears that the immune system is integrated with other psychophysiological processes and subject to modulation by the brain.

The Spontaneous Regression of Cancer: A review of cases from 1900 to 1987

“…While there are links between cancer and stress and cancer and the central nervous system mediated by the immune system, these are a long way from global personality variables and psychological treatments (e.g. (50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)). The relationship between personality and psychopathological constructs and the onset or progression of cancer is itself far from clear.…”

Bone marrow innervation regulates cellular retention in the murine haemopoietic system

“…A notable exception is the influence of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system that operates in chronic stress (Bateman et al, 1989;Fabris et al, 1994;Jankovic, 1994;Stratakis & Chrousos, 1995). The finding that immune responses can be classically conditioned (Metalnikov & Chorine, 1926;Ader & Cohen, 1985;Spector, 1987;Spector et al, 1994) together with data showing changes in immune responses and blood cell populations following brain injury ( Jankovic & Spector, 1986; and anatomical data demonstrating direct innervation of lymphoid organs (reviewed in Ader et al, 1991;Felten et al, 1992Felten et al, , 1995 indicate a potentially significant role for the nervous system in haemopoiesis.…”

Pavlovian conditioning of LPS-induced responses: Effects on corticosterone, splenic NE, and IL-2 production

“…Finally, (Dyck, Greenberg, & Osachuk, 1986;Dyck, Driedger, Nemeth, Osachuk, & Greenberg, 1987 Ader and Cohen (1985) as well as Spector (1987 Ader, 1981.;Ader & Cohen, 1985;Spector, 1987 Ader and Cohen (1975 Ader & Cohen 1985; This immunosupressive conditioning effect with CY has been replicated by Ader and Cohen (1985) and others (e.g., Rogers, Reich, Strom, & Carpenter, 1976;Wayner, Flannery, & Singer, 1978) and has also been observed under a variety of experimental manipulations with -ice as well as rats (e.g., Schulze, Benson, Paule, & Roberts, 1988). The dose of CY and the CS solution have also been manipulated (Ader & Cohen, 1981;Wayner et al, 1978).…”