Final answer:
The hippocampus is central to the formation and consolidation of long-term memories, not to regulating body temperature, integrating sensory information, or maintaining body posture, which are governed by other brain structures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The role of the hippocampus is primarily involved in the processing of memory formation and is essential for the consolidation and formation of new long-term declarative and episodic memories. Studies, including those involving patient HM, who had his hippocampus removed, have shown that this brain structure is crucial for moving memories from short-term to long-term storage. The amygdala, on the other hand, is heavily involved in emotional memory, particularly fear memories, aiding in encoding more emotionally charged events.
The hippocampus is not involved in the regulation of body temperature, the integration of sensory information, or the maintenance of body posture. These functions are attributed to other structures such as the hypothalamus for body temperature regulation and the cerebellum for the maintenance of body posture and movement coordination.