What structures are involved in processing sensory information once it reaches the brain?
The nerve tracts of the spinal cord join up with the brain at the brain stem. The brain stem contains clusters of nuclei that serve to combine and coordinate incoming sensory impulses, relating them to other information in the central nervous system. The cerebellum, wrapped around the back of the brain stem, contributes to the integration of sensations, dealing primarily with those concerned with balance and movement. The thalamus, corpus callosum, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus and other structures that comprise the limbic system, located in the central portion of the brain, are involved in fine-tuning perceptions, in regulating the expression of feelings and emotions and in the organization of voluntary behavior. The remaining bulk of the brain, consisting of the cerebrum and its thin outer layer called the cerebral cortex, round out the processing process. The cerebrum and cerebral cortex are divided into four lobes where specific functions are housed. The frontal lobe, which t
