The research described in this proposal represents, first, an extension of previous studies, central among which is the behaviorally conditioned enhancement of antibody production. The generality and the immunologic specificity and the potential mechanisms underlying this phenomenon will be investigated. Other studies involve the behavioral, neuroendocrine, and immunologic effects of exposing animals to odors emitted by """"""""stressed"""""""" conspecifics, an ethologically appropriate stressful experience that involves no physical stimulation of the experimental animals. Proposed research also has an innovative clinical component - a new dimension to this research. Extrapolating from principles derived from the animal research, the role of conditioning in pharmacotherapies will be examined in patient population by instituting pharmacotherapeutic protocols based on conditioning operations, i.e., the titration of cumulative drug dose by the manipulation of pharmacologic reinforcement. Preliminary data in each of these areas provide evidence of the theoretical and practical importance of this research.
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