 | Studies should be initiated to test hypotheses in the domain of nonneurogenic
inflammation, determining whether inflammation is present in symptomatic tissues of
patients who have MCS and if it is associated with a heightened neurosensory response. |
| Conduct longitudinal studies to test hypotheses:
| (1) |
a psychoneuroimmunologic component is correlationally or
causally associated with development of MCS and |
| (2) |
stress is associated with MCS as a chronic disabling
disease. |
|
| Conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled challenge studies performed in an
environmentally controlled hospital facility coupled with rigorous documentation of both
objective and subjective responses. |
| Conduct interviews with MCS patients to ascertain episodes consistent with a learning
interpretation of their symptoms. |
| Conduct balanced placebo-controlled studies to separate the effects of chemical
expectation from chemical effects in MCS. |
| Evaluate the possibility of olfactory hypersensitivity in MCS patients through further
research. |
| Systematically evaluate the efficacy of systematic desensitization as a treatment for
MCS disorders. |
| Consider single-case designs as an alternative to group comparisons, given the
heterogeneity of subjects, symptoms, and chemical exposures. |
| Develop a generally accepted structured interview that is based on common patterns of
patient symptoms. |
| One design for protocols to initiate and test for sensitization in MCS patients could
involve the same sensitization procedures but compare outcomes under conditions of masking
and unmasking. |
| Test the hypothesis that MCS patients are more susceptible to initiation of
context-dependent sensitization than are control subjects. |
| Longitudinal studies with repeated measures would enable evaluation of fluctuations over
time. |
| Conduct laboratory animal studies to assess neural time-dependent sensitization
mechanisms. |