Conditioned Increase of Natural Killer Cell Activity (NKCA) in Humans ANGELIKA BUSKE-KIRSCHBAUM, MA, CLEMENS KIRSCHBAUM, PHD, HELMUTH STIERLE, MD, PHD, HENDRIK LEHNERT, MD, P H D , AND DIRK HELLHAMMER, P H D Cumulating evidence suggests that immune parameters can be modified by behavioral conditioning processes in animals. The present results suggest that this also holds true for a human immune parameter. Healthy subjects were exposed to a conditioning procedure in which a neutral sherbet sweet (conditioned stimulus) was repeatedly paired with a subcutaneous injection of 0.2 mg epinephrine (unconditioned stimulus). After epinephrine administration an increase of natural killer (NK) cell activity could be observed (unconditioned response). On the conditioning test day the conditioned group showed increased NK cell activity after reexposure of the sherbet sweet combined with saline injection. No increase was found in control groups that previously received the sherbet sweet in combination with saline (saline control) or with epinephrine in an unpaired manner (unpaired control). This study supports previous findings of conditioned modulation of immune responses and represents a model to investigate conditioning processes of a human immune function.

INTRODUCTION

There is growing evidence suggesting a functional relationship between the central nervous system (CNS) and the immune system. One methodologic approach to elucidating the interaction between the CNS and the immune system is to examine the effects of classical conditioning on immune responses. Classical conditioning of immune function is supposed to take place when a previously neutral stimulus that has no effect per se on a given immune parameter becomes

From the Departments of Clinical and Physiological Psychology, Trier University. Germany. Address reprint requests to: A. Buske-Kirschbaum, Trier University, Clinical and Physiological Psychology, Tarforst, Building D, D-5500 Trier, Federal Republic of Germany. Received for publication August 16,1991; revision received November 15, 1991.

Psychosomatic Medicine 54:123-132 (1992) 0033-3174/92/5402-0123$03 00/0 Copyright

Conditioned increase of natural killer cell activity (NKCA) in humans.

Cumulating evidence suggests that immune parameters can be modified by behavioral conditioning processes in animals. The present results suggest that ...
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