ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a software think tank and its applications to the study of cytokine networks in the immune and nervous systems. Special consideration is given to the neuro-immunological effects of Human Immune-deficiency Virus (HIV) infection. A typical course on neurophysiology will describe many of the physiological systems of the brain starting with the physical and chemical phenomena involved in the functions and activities of the individual cell. The chapter describes some shared structural and functional properties which make the immune and nervous systems a fascinating and, at the same time, dreadful subject for simulation. It outlines that immune responsiveness is reflected in the number of cell types, their capacity to communicate, the diversity of the antigen repertoire, the amount of hematopoetic control, and cytokine regulation. The chapter explores the term in silico, to describe the HIV approach as experimental at an equal level with in vitro and in vivo techniques of biological research.
