The pons, cerebellum, and thalamus are located in the brain stem. the pons is responsible for sleep and dreaming; the cerebellum is responsible for posture and balance; the thalamus is responsible for trafficking the incoming sensory messages and outgoing motor messages. the hypothalamus and the hippocampus are part of the limbic system. the hyupothalamus plays a role in motivation and is responsible for basic biological needs such as hunger and thirst. the hippocampus plays a role in encoding new memories. the parietal lobe is part of the cerebral cortex and is improtant for sensory information such as temperature, body position, and sense of touch.