IL1B and major depressive disorder: MDD symptoms can be mimicked by excessive secretion of the pro-inflammatory macrophage cytokines [19] and are often accompanied by a hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis [20] which includes direct stimulatory influence of interleukins (IL-1, IL-6) on hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and pituitary corticotropin (ACTH) secretion [19].