ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates whether behavioral conditioned immunosupression is able to prolong graft rejection of a vascularized organ allograft in the rat. Using the paradigm of heterotopic heart transplantation male DA rats received a Lewis rat cardiac allograft. Emperical evidence exists which shows that the immune system is connected to the central nervous system directly and/or indirectly via the neuroendocrine system. One approach to the study of the bidirectional interactions is behavioural conditioning of immunopharmacological effects using a conditioned taste aversion regimen. Although the clinical implications of behavioural immunomodulation are a matter of issue, a few studies have reported clinical impact of conditioned immunosuppression. The chapter aims to determine whether behavioral conditioned immunosupression is able to prolong graft rejection of a vascularized organ allograft. The phenomen of organ allograft rejection is a highly complex process where the interaction between antigen presenting cells, CD4 cells and CD8 cells are mainly responsible for rejection of major histocompatibility complex incompatible grafts.
