When a neck/spinal injury is suspected, the jaw thrust technique can be used instead. The main aim of the jaw thrust is to bring the chin forwards without moving the neck. This lifts the tongue from the back of the airway and relieves obstruction. It is worth noting that there are a variety of different jaw thrust techniques used across the world.
That's lower level processing. Higher levels of your brain are also activated to make sense of the sensory information. When you initiate a reflex action, like withdrawing your hand from a hot surface, the first part of the response is initiated at the spinal cord. But, as soon as the information reaches your brain, your motor cortex, cerebellum, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, etc, take over, planning and controlling movement.
In most cases, the brain is the final destination point for information gathered by the rest of the nervous system. Once data arrives, the brain sorts and files it before sending out any necessary commands. The brain is divided into many different sections, including the cerebrum and brain stem.