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Inflammasomes in neuroinflammation and changes in brain function: a focused review
Singhal G, Jaehne EJ, Corrigan F, Toben C, Baune BT.. Frontiers in neuroscience, 2014-10-07
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Recent literature has pointed to the existence of inflammasome-mediated inflammatory pathways in central nervous system (CNS) disorders and associated changes in behavior. Neuroinflammation, which is an innate immune response in the CNS against harmful and irritable stimuli such as pathogens and metabolic toxic waste, as well as to chronic mild stress, is mediated by protein complexes known as inflammasomes. Inflammasomes activate pro-inflammatory caspases 1 and 5, which then cleave the precursor forms of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-33 into their active forms. These pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to promote a variety of innate immune processes associated with infection, inflammation, and autoimmunity, and thereby play an instrumental role in the instigation of neuroinflammation during old age and subsequent occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases, cognitive impairment, and dementia. In particular, NLRP inflammasomes may also have a role in the etiologies of depression, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in metabolic disorders, such as Type II diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases that have been shown to be co-morbid with psychiatric illnesses. It has been reported that while these inflammasomes may be activated through TNF-α dependent pathways, other cytokines, like IFN-γ, may assist in inhibiting their activation and thus delay disease progression. Furthermore, some other cytokines, including IL-6, may not have a direct role in inflammasome-mediated diseases. An array of recent research suggests that NLRP inflammasomes targeted therapies could be used for alleviating neuroinflammation and for treatment of associated psychiatric illnesses, although this still remains a challenge and necessitates further extensive research. This review examines the complex inflammatory signaling pathways involved in the activation of NLRP inflammasomes and the role they play in promoting neuroinflammation and subsequent behavioral changes.
Key findings
- These pro-inflammatory cytokines have been shown to promote a variety of innate immune processes associated with infection, inflammation, and autoimmunity, and thereby play an instrumental role in the instigation of neuroinflammation during old age and subsequent occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases, cognitive impairment, and dementia.
- An array of recent research suggests that NLRP inflammasomes targeted therapies could be used for alleviating neuroinflammation and for treatment of associated psychiatric illnesses, although this still remains a challenge and necessitates further extensive research.
Why it matters
This review describes inflammasome-mediated inflammatory pathways in the central nervous system and suggests that NLRP inflammasomes may play a role in the causes of Alzheimer's disease. It states that therapies targeting NLRP inflammasomes could be used to reduce neuroinflammation and treat associated psychiatric illnesses, although this is not yet established.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Neuroscience: journal h-index 226 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 365 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 26.1 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 60 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Bernhard Theodor Baune: h-index 114 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The University of Adelaide: institution h-index 918 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 25339862) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00315
- PubMed: 25339862
- Original source →
- Free full text: Frontiers in Neuroscience →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Singhal, G., Jaehne, E. J., Corrigan, F., Toben, C., & Baune, B. T. (2014). Inflammasomes in neuroinflammation and changes in brain function: a focused review. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2014.00315
Vancouver
Singhal G, Jaehne EJ, Corrigan F, Toben C, Baune BT. Inflammasomes in neuroinflammation and changes in brain function: a focused review. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2014. doi:10.3389/fnins.2014.00315. PMID: 25339862.
BibTeX
@article{singhal2014-25339862,
author = {Singhal, G. and Jaehne, E. J. and Corrigan, F. and Toben, C. and Baune, B. T.},
title = {{Inflammasomes in neuroinflammation and changes in brain function: a focused review}},
journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2014.00315},
pmid = {25339862},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2014.00315}
}
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