Psychological Factors Capable of Preventing the Inhibition of Antibody Responses in Separated Infant Monkeys.

COE, CHRISTOPHER L, BOSENBERG, LEON T, FISCHER, MELISSA, and LEVINE, SEYMOUR Psychological Factors Capable of Preventing the inhibition of Antibody Responses in Separated Infant Monkeys CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1987, 58, 1420-1430 The capacity of infant squirrel monkeys to mount an antibody response to viral challenge was evaluated after removal from their mothers m several social and physical environments Control and separated infants were rejected with a benign virus, the bacteriophage X174, and levels of neutralizing antibody were assessed for 3 weeks Infants separated alone m an unfamiliar environment showed a significant reduction m antibody levels as compared to control infants Allowing infants to remain in the home environment, either alone or with peers, prevented this inhibition of antibody responses from occurring Similarly, providing familiar peers in the novel environment facilitated the normal expression of antibody responses These results indicate that the trauma of maternal separation is significantly reduced when infants are familiar with the separation environment or familiar social companions are available The reduced antibody response was associated with the highest level of adrenal activation induced by the unfamiliar separation condition, but antibody titers and plasma cortisol levels could not be specifically correlated in individual infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]