Suppose, as the last two chapters argued, that your concept of chocolate is a pattern of activation in a population of neurons. These neurons do not need to be confined to brain areas devoted to thinking with words, but could also include neurons in areas for sensory processes such as sight, smell, and taste. Hence the look, feel, and taste of chocolate are as much a part of your concept of chocolate as is the verbal information that it is made out of cocoa beans. The activity of neurons in different regions
of the brain is temporally coordinated through the interactions that take place via synaptic interconnections, produced by long axons that enable neurons in one part of the brain to excite or inhibit neurons in other parts. Such multimodal activity makes it possible for you to recognize a morsel as chocolate because it has the sensory properties, such as taste, smell, and mouth feel, of your previous experiences of chocolate. For concepts and beliefs, similar kinds of coordination occur with brain areas important for emotions.