Uric acid has antioxidant effects on neurons. Abnormally high levels of uric acid are, however, associated with gout. Previous studies have suggested that high levels of uric acid (and the presence of gout) may exert a protective effect against the risk of developing some neurological diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Uric acid has a stimulating effect on the cerebral cortex, and this could have allowed humans, compared with other animals, to develop higher brain mass volume, better intellectual performances, and maybe evolutionary supremacy. The uric acid triggers severely painful gout - which is a form of arthritis - accompanied with redness and swelling, which comes on rapidly. Scientists in France have now said high uric acid could also put people at risk of dementia - a term which described a set of symptoms including memory loss.