In summary, the major points of the “inflammasome hypothesis of depression” are: 1) psychological stress activates NLRP3 and causes subsequent development of depression; 2) elevated levels of danger substances such as glucose, fatty acids, and cholesterol crystals, can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, which could contribute to certain types of comorbid “systemic illnesses”; 3) “psychosomatic diseases” may be caused by psychological stressors that cause systemic diseases via a common NLRP3 inflammasome; and 4) “somato-psycho diseases” may be caused by intra- and extra- cellular danger substances that also activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and subsequently contribute to depression (Fig. 4).
