Fig. 1.

Image of a cleared intact cochlea from a CX3CR1^+/GFP mouse using two-photon microscopy. Green cells denote macrophages, blue areas denote the bony capsule of the cochlea, and white colored structures denote vessels. The internal structures of the cochlea are clearly distinguishable without any staining due to the endogenous fluorescence induced by the two-photon laser excitation. (A) Three-dimensional (3D) image of part of the cochlear middle turn. The dotted line marks the microstructures of the cochlea. The X-axis is parallel to the cochlear turn, the Y-axis is parallel to the spiral limbus, and the Z-axis is parallel to the modiolus. (B) XY-plane image obtained from the 3D image. Three layers marked by dotted square brackets. The stria vascularis (SV) shows brighter endogenous fluorescence than that of the spiral ligament. (C) YZ-plane image obtained from the 3D image. Roman numerals in the gradated area denote the area of each fibrocyte type [8]. OC, organ of corti.