Rat pups from 12 litters were handled daily, once every three days, or never touched between postnatal Days 5 and 20. At 100 days of age, 20 days after inoculation with human serum albumin, trunk blood was obtained to measure the antigen binding capacity (ABC). Rats handled as infants displayed relative immunofacilitation compared to those that had not been handled; the effect explained 7% of the variance in ABC values. In comparison, sex differences explained 14% of the variance. The results support the hypothesis that early disruptions in mother-infant bonding increase the likelihood of developing allergic responses following exposure to novel antigens during adulthood.
References
1.
AderR. (Ed.) Psychoneuroimmunology. New York: Academic Press, 1981.
2.
DenenbergV.Stimulation in infancy, emotional reactivity, and exploratory behavior. In GlassD. C. (Ed.), Neurophysiology and emotion. New York: Rockefeller Univer. Press, 1963. Pp. 161–190.
3.
FalterH.ReidK.PersingerM. A.Sex differences in primary humoral responses of albino rats to human serum albumin. Immunology Letters, 1991, 28, 143–146.
4.
GallagerB. B.FlanniginH. F.KingD. W.SmithJ.MunroA. M.LittletonW.ACTH secretion and human temporal lobe epilepsy. In EngelsJ.OjemannG. A.LudersH. O.WilliamsonP. D. (Eds.), Fundamental mechanisms of human brain function. New York: Raven, 1987. Pp. 201–208.
5.
PersingerM. A.Handling factors not body marking influence thalamic mast cell numbers in rats. Behavioral and Neural Biology, 1980, 20, 448–459.
WienerS. G.LevineS.Influence of perinatal malnutrition and early handling on the pituitary-adrenal response to noxious stimuli in adult rats. Physiology and Behavior, 1983, 31, 285–291.
