GSDMD and Cognitive impairment: Animal experiments have indicated that CIH exposure leads to increased expression of NLRP3 and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampal region of rats, while silencing NLRP3 downregulates activated Caspase1, GSDMD, and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, thereby inhibiting hippocampal neuronal pyroptosis in CIH-exposed rats and improving their cognitive impairments [91].