PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY - ANIMAL-MODELS OF DISEASE

Objective: Pyschonouroimmunology, which investigates the bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the immune syste m, has been greatly advanced by the use of animal models. The objectiv e of this paper is to describe animal models of disease that can or mi ght be utilized to elucidate neural-immune interactions that alter pat hogenesis. Methods: This paper reviews animal studies that have demons trated a link among the brain, behavior, immunity, and disease, highli ghting models in which the potential contribution of CNS-immune intera ctions has not yet been explored. Results: Animal studies allow for ca reful control of environmental stimuli, genetic background, and immuno logical challenge. As such, they are an important component of psychon euroimmunology research. Models in which one might study the role of p sychosocial factors in immunologically mediated disease processes, as in the case of other pathophysiologic processes, profit from an abilit y to manipulate both stressful events and the magnitude of the challen ge to the immune system. Conclusions: Animal studies in psychoneuroimm unology highlight the complexity of the interactions among behavior, t he brain, the immune system, and pathogen. The genetic background of t he animal (both in terms of central nervous and immune system response s), its previous history, the nature of the stressor, the nature of th e pathogen and the type of immune response generated are some of the i nteracting factors that determine the magnitude and direction of stres s-induced changes in disease outcome.