NLRP3-inflammasome activating DAMPs induce the release of both IL-1α and IL-1β from primed macrophages (Gross et al., 2012), and so to investigate the effects of DAMPs independently of IL-1 stimulated events we subjected WT and IL-1α/β double KO mice to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo) a model of experimental stroke. The gene discussed is IL1A; the disease is Stroke.