"experiences in the neocortex need to be linked together to form complete representations..." #readingToday

One prominent theory suggests the experiences which are coded into various sensory areas of the neocortex need to be linked together to form complete representations of the episode, and this linking is initially performed by the hippocampus. When we remember these episodes in the absence of sensory inputs (for instance, when lying in bed with the lights off and silence all around), the hippocampus triggers activity in all of the appropriate sensory areas needed to allow you to relive the original experience. It has "remembered" the association between these specific sensations and linked them together. Once triggered, these sensory areas activate in much the same way as they would if you were exposed to the original stimuli all over again. Your brain is replaying the memory just as you might replay a video or piece of music.

(Moon+ Reader Pro v2.3.3, The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest (MacSci))