The Heat Shock Response (HSR) is a cellular defense mechanism that minimizes accumulation of misfolded proteins, which are a hallmark of age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s Diseases. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, my research shows that stimulating serotonergic signaling upregulates the HSR even in the absence of actual protein damage. I showed that this is part of an anticipatory response of the animal to survive impending damage, and this presents novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.