关键词: 应激, 皮质酮, 催乳素, 电击, 躲避行为

Abstract: The present experiments have studied the influence of prediction and control of electric shocks on certain aspects of immune function, and the possible intermediate role of glucocorticoid hormones. After two sessions of inescapable footshocks, the reactivity of splenocytes to concanavalin A was reduced by one third. This effect of immunosuppression was not observed when each shock was preceded by a warning stimulus, even though the adrenocortical response was the same in both conditions. The results from the experiment 2 show that rats receiving inescapable footshocks displayed a reduced reactivity of splenocytes to lectins whereas rats with escapable footshocks had a reduced reactivity to sheep erythrocytes. However,no difference was observed in the corticosterone or prolactin responses between the two groups. These data further support the importance of psychological factors on stress-induced changes in immune functions. Furthermore, they demonstrate that certain aspects of the immune system are differentially affected by behavioral factors and the results argue against a major role for the adrenocortical system in mediating these changes.

Key words: stress, corticosteroids, prolactin, footshocks, avoidance behavior