Neonatal Sound Stress and Development of Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis in Lewis and Da Rats

Abstract

This experiment deals with the effect of neonatal sound stress on the susceptibility of rats in adult life to the induction of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Two inbred strains of rats, Lewis and DA, highly susceptible to EAE were used. On postnatal days 15, 18 and 21, animals of both sexes were sound stressed in a sound attenuated chamber (90dB, 60 rings/5 sec during 1 h, on a variable interval schedule) in the presence or absence of the mother. Experimental groups were as follows: (a) pups stressed without the mother (SP); (b) pups stressed in the presence of the mother (SPM); (c) control nonstressed pups separated from the mother (CP), and (d) control nonstressed pups undisturbed in their nest cages (CPM). Rats were weaned on postnatal day 28. At the age of 8 weeks, all groups were immunized with guinea pig spinal cord in complete Freund's adjuvant. Signs of EAE were recorded daily until the day 20 after immunization when animals were bled and sacrificed. Serial sections of cerebrum, cerebellum and spinal cord were examined histologically for the presence of mononuclear cell infiltrates. Anti-myelin basic protein (MBP) antibodies were detected in serum samples using ELISA technique. Stressed Lewis rats (groups SP and SPM) compared to control groups CP and CPM, developed more severe EAE as revealed by a higher aggregate clinical score, more pronounced histological lesions and increased production of anti-MBP antibodies. The presence of the mother during stress session (group SPM) prolonged the disease. In DA rats, on the other hand, there was only a delay in the onset of the disease in animals stressed in the presence of the mother (group SPM vs. SP). These results show that neonatal stress affects EAE in a strain-dependent manner: clinical signs of the disease are potentiated in Lewis but not in DA rats. This effect of stress depends also on the presence of the mother.

Key Words:

• Stress
• experimental allergic encephalomyelitis
• autoimmunity
• neuroimmunomodulation
• neuroimmunology