Increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1beta (interleukin-1beta), as occurs in the aged brain, has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer???s disease and Parkinson???s disease.1 It has been reported that patients with an inherited defect in a certain gene (NALP3) are prone to secrete excess quantities of IL-1beta and IL-18 (another proinflammatory cytok