The present results suggest that elements of the cellular stress response, involving targeting of HSPA6 to perispeckles and later to the GC layer of the nucleolus at 3 h, that are present in differentiated human neuronal SH-SY5Y cells, are absent in current mouse and rat models of neurodegenerative diseases that lack the HSPA6 gene. Here, HSPA6 is linked to neurodegenerative disease.