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The Hypothalamus and the Thalamus: Up above the brainstem are two important parts of the brain called the hypothalamus and the thalamus. The hypothalamus performs many crucial functions. It helps control your appetite, your thirst, and the temperature of your body. The hypothalamus also has a lot to do with certain felings that you get. For example, the hypothalamus helps you deal with both angry and peaceful feelings. The thalamus, which is right above the hypothalamus, is like a great relay station. It receives all the signals from lower parts of the body, such as our arms and legs, and sends them up to the higher regions of your brain. Every sense except smell goes up through the thalamus. You can also say that the thalamus is like a fuse box. Just as electricity comes into your home through the fuse box and then gets sent on to various rooms, information from your sense goes through the thalamus on its way to the regions of the brain that will think about it and use it.

Keeping A Head in School, Dr. Mel Levine