SUMMARY. The olfactory analyzer is a relatively simple, but impor-tant part of the nervous system for the implementation of behavioral and higher mental functions, the study of which can significantly deepen knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of chemical reception, regulation of gene expression, the formation of new neurons and the neural networks in the mature brain, as well as about the mechanisms of pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and mental disorders. The proposed article examines the structure and functions of the olfactory tubercle, diagonal band of Broca, and nucleus basalis of Meynert, located within the area of the olfactory cortex. Based on numerous literary data, it has been demonstrated that all three of these formations, despite their relatively simple neural structure, are involved in the mechanisms of the most complex mental functions, and their location zone is a kind of anatomical bridge between the anterior cingulate and anterior insular cortex, the importance of which in the mental process is well known. Along with considering these issues, the article reveals the historical priority of Volodymyr Betz in the cytoarchitectonic description of the olfactory tubercle. It is also shown that the work of V. Betz may contain information about the structure of the diagonal band and the nucleus basalis, discovered earlier, respectively, by P. Broca and T. Meynert. Therefore, taking into account the importance of the part of the brain under consideration, V. Betz’s cytoarchitectonic data on the structure of the olfactory tubercle and adjacent structures can be considered no less important than his other observations recognized by the professional community.
Keywords: neurobiology, neuron doctrine, olfactory tubercle, diagonal band of Broca, nucleus basalis of Meynert, Volodymyr Betz
