The fusiform gyrus can be further delineated into a lateral and medial portion, as it is separated in its middle by the relatively shallow mid-fusiform sulcus (MFS).

The term was first used in 1854 by Emil Huschke from Jena, Germany, who called the fusiform gyrus a "Spindelwulst" (lit.

He chose this term because of the similarity that the respective cerebral gyrus bears to the shape of a spindle, or fusil, due to its wider central section.

[6] At first, researchers located the fusiform gyrus in other mammals as well, without taking into account the variations in gross organizations of other species' brains.

[6] The exact functionality of the fusiform gyrus is still disputed, but there is relative consensus on its involvement in the following pathways: In 2003, V. S. Ramachandran collaborated with scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in order to identify the potential role of the fusiform gyrus within the color processing pathway in the brain.

Examining the relationship within the pathway specifically in cases of synesthesia, Ramachandran found that synesthetes on average have a higher density of fibers surrounding the angular gyrus.

Further research by MIT scientists showed that the left and right fusiform gyri played different roles, which subsequently interlinked.

[13] In a 2015 study, dopamine was proposed to play a key role in face recognition task and was considered to be related to neural activity in fusiform gyrus.

The researchers also showed the possibility that higher availability of dopamine D1 receptor may underlie better performance in face recognition task.

As a social demand, a face recognition task could be a cognition process that involves dopamine, which can elicit a reinforcement feedback.

The regulation is achieved in a way that dopamine first influence post-synaptic potential, and then further cause BOLD activity increase in the local area.