just one firing pattern remains active

In the context of the brain, the processing unit that represents a word is likely a pattern of firing activity across a group of neurons in the brain cortex.When we hear the beginning of a word,several thousand such units may become active,because with just the beginning of a word,there are many possible matches.Then, as the word goes on, more and more units register that some vital piece of information is missing and lose activity.Possibly well before the end of the word,just one firing pattern remains active, corresponding to one word.