During this inital reporting period the first pilot protocol was developed, approved by the IACUC, and initated. The pilot involves surgical implantation of cells into the gastrointestinal tract of mice to mimic the human phenomenon of induction of gastrointestinal symptom distress. The mice are then randomized into an intervention group or control group. Knowledge gained from this preliminary experiment will guide the design of forthcoming experiments to elucidate and confirm the mechanistic properties of biobehavioral interventions.