Final answer:
The thalamus acts as the primary relay center in the brain for channeling incoming sensory information to the correct parts of the cerebral cortex, excluding the sense of smell.
Step-by-step explanation:
The portion of the brain that serves as a relay center for sending incoming sensory information to the appropriate location is the thalamus. The thalamus is a collection of nuclei that acts as a hub for transmitting sensory and motor signals to and from the cerebral cortex. It relays all sensory signals except for those originating from the olfactory system. Furthermore, the thalamus is not just a passive relay station; it also processes sensory information to determine importance and attention, conveying this processed information to specific regions of the cortex for further processing.