Lewis rats are much more likely to develop autoimmune disorders after sympathectomy (Dimitrova and Felten, 1995). This finding suggests that if sympathetic regulation were impaired in a genetically predisposed individual, an autoimmune disease might develop.
from Back Matter:
Changes in serum growth hormone and pro- lactin levels, and in hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone and somatostatin content after superior cervical sympathectomy in rats. ...Betrayal by the Brain: The Neurologic Basis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Related Neural Network Disorders
by Jay A. Goldstein
published by The Haworth Medical Press, 1996