IL18 and Alzheimer disease: As for human studies, it has been found that increased gene expression of NLRP3, as well as ASC, caspase-1, and the cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, have been detected in cultured monocytes from AD patients, but not from healthy subjects, stimulated with LPS and Aβ peptide, suggesting that the peripheral NLRP3-mediated immune response is amplified in illness [36].