IL6 and autism: The frequency of mature (CD5n) and activated (CD38p) B cells were also increased inthis study and could also contribute to increased production of auto-antibodies.Cytokines such as IL-6 participate in the activation and differentiation of B cellsand their production of antibodies; previous studies have shown that there areincreased plasma IL-6 levels in children with autism which could modulate B cellactivity [12].