Abstract

Twenty years ago there was great skepticism about the utility of imaging neural circuits or even whole brains at sufficient resolution to map neuronal wiring diagrams at synaptic resolution. Using high-throughput volume electron microscopy (EM), we have now achieved this goal, and the value of complete structural maps as a scaffold for functional analyses is unequivocal. In my current visiting sabbatical fellowship at EMBL Heidelberg, I am exploring whether the same might be true for single-celled eukaryotic microbes, in particular the ciliated protists. I will 1) provide a conceptual framework for thinking about these organisms as sophisticated autonomous agents with remarkable behaviors subserved by equally (or more) remarkable subcellular ultrastructure; and 2) argue that the time is right for a concerted effort to understand sensorimotor integration in this organisms at the molecular level.