SOME OBSERVATIONS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS, IMMUNITY, AND INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN NONHUMAN-PRIMATES

Many studies would appear to support an important relationship between behavior and the regulation of the immune response, at the core of th e developing field of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). However, wide varia tions are noted in the strength of this relationship, even for the sam e species under very similar circumstances. The present paper reviews work from our laboratory in both young and adult pigtail and bonnet ma caques describing the ranges of variability in both behavioral and imm unological responses to social separation and social conflict. It is s hown that the magnitude of immune changes that follow a social stresso r often covary with the magnitude of the behavioral changes that are o bserved. Second, there is support for the observation that there are s pecific behaviors such as social affiliation that may mitigate untowar d behavioral and immunological consequences of social stressors. Final ly, studies are reviewed which suggest that assessment of autonomic re activity as reflected in cardiovascular regulation might provide an im portant clue to the relative risk for immune modulation under challeng e. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.