It is now appreciated that cytokines can impact the baseline function of excitatory (left) and inhibitory (right) synapses. They can regulate excitatory (left) and inhibitory (right) neurotransmission on the postsynaptic membrane by regulating the amount of ion channels or neurotransmitter receptors expressed or localized to the membrane. They can regulate the amounts of synaptic vesicles on the presynaptic side and they can regulate adrenergic signaling, which subsequently modulates synaptic activity. Red boxes denote an effect of decreasing excitatory (left) or inhibitory (right) transmission and green boxes denote an effect of increasing excitatory (left) or inhibitory (right) transmission. A1R=A1 adrenergic receptor, AMPAR=α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor, Cav= voltage-gated calcium (Ca2+) channel, Nav=voltage-gated sodium (Na+) channel, GABA=γ-aminobutyric acid, GABAR= γ-aminobutyric acid receptor, GABAAR= γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor.