NLRP3 and Parkinson disease: Furthermore, post-mortem tissue samples from people with PD exhibit elevated caspase-1 and ASC levels in the substantia nigra (SN) [16], and oligomeric α-synuclein can prime and activate the NLRP3 inflammasome [20,21], leading to the perpetuation of neuroinflammation via the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α [22,23].