IL6 and post-traumatic stress disorder: Interestingly, Kunz-Ebrecht et al. (197) reported an inverse relation between IL-6 and cortisol release to mild mental stress challenges, while Pervanidou et al. (150) provided evidence that IL-6 was involved in the initial biological alterations in the aftermath of trauma, and predictive of PTSD development 6 months later in a longitudinal study design following motor vehicle accidents in children.