From https://newatlas.com/chaos-theory-immune-system/58131/ :
"The immune system is incredibly complex, but most of us would probably assume that ideally it runs very precisely, like clockwork. However, a new study has found that a big dose of chaos is not just present but may be a necessary piece of the puzzle in helping the immune system regulate itself."
Basically, the levels of various cytokines have to vary over specific ranges in order for other activities, such as gene activation, to occur at the optimum rate. If those cytokines vary too much or too little, the immune system won't be working properly. Chaotic systems can certainly get locked into improper states, so this could explain ME. Unfortunately, chaotic systems are harder to understand than linear systems, so if ME is the result of variations in chaotic states, progress might be slow. However, researchers could try to 'shock' the immune system into a different state, and find an effective treatment even without understanding exactly what's at fault.
So, no immediate breakthrough expected from this discovery, but it does open up new models of ME to think about.
"The immune system is incredibly complex, but most of us would probably assume that ideally it runs very precisely, like clockwork. However, a new study has found that a big dose of chaos is not just present but may be a necessary piece of the puzzle in helping the immune system regulate itself."
Basically, the levels of various cytokines have to vary over specific ranges in order for other activities, such as gene activation, to occur at the optimum rate. If those cytokines vary too much or too little, the immune system won't be working properly. Chaotic systems can certainly get locked into improper states, so this could explain ME. Unfortunately, chaotic systems are harder to understand than linear systems, so if ME is the result of variations in chaotic states, progress might be slow. However, researchers could try to 'shock' the immune system into a different state, and find an effective treatment even without understanding exactly what's at fault.
So, no immediate breakthrough expected from this discovery, but it does open up new models of ME to think about.