 | This article appears to be a dictionary definition. Please rewrite it to present the subject from an encyclopedic point of view. (January 2014) |
Preconditioning occurs when an animal is exposed to a stressor or stimulus in order to prepare it for a later encounter with a similar stressor or stimulus.
For example, in vaccinations, a human is exposed to an artificially weakened virus in order to stimulate the body's immune system to produce antibodies that fight the virus. Then, when the live virus is encountered, the body can vigorously defend against it, already having produced the relevant antibodies. See pre-exposure prophylaxis.
References
- Holmes, Nathan M.; Wong, Francesca S.; Bouchekioua, Youcef; Westbrook, R. Fred (January 2022). "Not "either-or" but "which-when": A review of the evidence for integration in sensory preconditioning". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 132: 1197–1204. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.032.
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