Primary cilia were first detected on neurons in the mammalian brain over 40 years ago using
electron microscopy. However, this approach is very labor intensive and has inherent
limitations that restrict its utility for studying neuronal cilia. While the study of cilia in other
tissues was greatly facilitated by the identification of specific ciliary markers, historically there
have been no markers for neuronal cilia. Fortunately, recent developments make the study
of neuronal cilia more practical. First, specific proteins have been shown to selectively …