IL6 and Alzheimer disease: Consistent with this possibility, recent studies showed that astrocyte produced IL-6 provides homeostatic control of synaptic function in hippocampal neuronal circuits involved in memory and learning, essential cognitive functions that are disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurologic disorders (Balschun et al., 2004; Baier et al., 2009; del Rey et al., 2013).