3D Morphometric and Computational Modeling of the Human Fasciola Cinerea: A Hidden Gate of Memory Networks

The fasciola cinerea (FC) is a slender archicortical band at the posterior hippocampal tail, and its human morphology and network role are poorly defined. To generate a reproducible in vivo three-dimensional (3D) model of the FC, quantify its geometry, characterize structural and functional connectivity within posterior-medial memory networks, and test a tractography-constrained computational model in which the FC acts as a multiplicative gate. Open 7 T datasets, structural, diffusion, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were anchored to BigBrain and Julich-Brain priors. A semi-automated, atlas-guided pipeline was used to segment the FC and derive morphometrics (volume, thickness, width, curvature, and Laplace-Beltrami spectral shape). Reliability was assessed using the Dice, 95% Hausdorff distance, and test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Diffusion tractography was used to estimate the FC structural pathways toward retrosplenial (RSC), parahippocampal (PHC), posterior cingulate (PCC), and thalamic targets. Resting-state coupling was summarized using Fisher-z correlations and narrowband coherence. A Wilson-Cowan neural mass model, constrained by tractography, simulated FC-dependent FC-RSC coherence with morphometric scaling of gating gain. Segmentation was reliable (Dice = 0.78 ± 0.05; 95% Hausdorff = 1.62 ± 0.41 mm; ICC_volume = 0.88; ICC_thickness = 0.82). Group morphometrics: volume 84.3 ± 17.9 mm³, mean thickness 0.92 ± 0.15 mm, width 1.86 ± 0.31 mm, centerline length 14.2 ± 2.1 mm. FC showed preferential connectivity: FC→RSC 0.21 ± 0.09; FC→PHC 0.18 ± 0.08; FC→PCC 0.11 ± 0.06; FC→Thalamus 0.06 ± 0.04. Resting-state coupling was strongest for FC-RSC (z = 0.24 ± 0.12) with a slow-band coherence enhancement. Thickness predicted the FC→RSC strength (β = 0.17 per 0.1 mm) and FC-RSC z (β = 0.08 per 0.1 mm), and higher curvature was negatively related. The gating model reproduced empirical FC-RSC coherence (r = 0.52 ± 0.11), and morphometric scaling improved the fit (Δr = + 0.06). We provide an anatomically grounded and mathematically validated 3D FC model that links microstructures to mesoscale connectivity. Preferential posterior-medial coupling and morphometry-dependent gating support the FC as a modulatory interface in human memory networks and yield testable markers for individualized mapping and clinical translation.