which is responsible for receiving and decoding sensory messages from throughout the body; the motor cortex, which sends action instructions to the skeletal muscles; and the association cortex, which receives, monitors, and processes information, It is in the association cortex that the processes that allow humans to think take place. The cerebellum, located below t he cerebrum in the back part of the skull, is the cerebrum and the spinal cord. It controls various body processes such as breathing and heartbeating.