The hypothalamus helps regulate emotional responses elicited by sensory information through the release of hormones that act on the pituitary gland in response to stress. The hippocampus is important in forming new memories and connecting emotions and senses, such as smell and sound, to memories. It also determines what memories are stored and where the memories are stored in the brain. The amygdala, for example, receives sensory signals from the thalamus and uses the information in the processing of emotions such as fear, anger, and pleasure. The limbic system is composed of a group of brain structures that play a vital role in sensory perception, sensory interpretation, and motor function. Visual information is processed in the visual cortex of the occipital lobe, sound is processed in the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe, smells are processed in the olfactory cortex of the temporal lobe, touch sensations are processed in the somatosensory cortex of the parietal lobe, and taste is processed in the gustatory cortex in the parietal lobe. Sensory information regarding smell, however, is sent directly to the olfactory bulb and not to the thalamus. A structure of the brain called the thalamus receives most sensory signals and passes them along to the appropriate area of the cerebral cortex to be processed.

Sensory information is transmitted from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system. The stimuli from each sensing organ in the body are relayed to different parts of the brain through various pathways. We have five traditional senses known as taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight. The ways we understand and perceive the world around us as humans are known as senses.

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