Proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6, which are increasingly expressed during experimental stroke, have a crucial role in the progression of neuronal loss and brain injury (Banati, Gehrmann, Schubert, & Kreutzberg, 1993; Barone et al., 1997; Rothwell, Allan, & Toulmond, 1997). The gene discussed is IL6; the disease is stroke disorder.