NLRP3 and Alzheimer disease: To investigate if inflammasome-related genes show altered expression in aging or AD, we investigated expression patterns for caspase-1 and its downstream targets IL-1β and IL-18, expression of key components of the inflammasome complex (NLRP3, ASC), and expression of several genes involved in inflammasome activation, including thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), P2X7, and pannexins.