In neuroscience, consolidation is the process of transferring information from short-term memory to more reliable, long-term memory. Initial findings on consolidation came from observations of the 1900s when it was proposed that recent memories were more vulnerable to injury or disease than older memories. The consolidation process is based on the formation of new neural connections, which take place in the cerebral cortex. Neuroscientists and psychologists study this process to find solutions for memory disorders, such as retrograde amnesia. Consolidation is explored through neuroimaging studies of memories of healthy people. These methods include positron emission tomography (PET) and functional resonance imaging (fMRI). Observing physiological differences over time is also among the methods.
A good example of consolidation in action is when I learned to use the Linux operating system. I did not manage to complete the whole course, but I made several interesting observations while learning. I did not remember the material accurately if I had not slept well the night before. At times when I had other things to read and research after my Linux course, new knowledge often overwrote the information which had not yet been consolidated. These observations gave me reasons to conclude that the process of consolidation usually took place when sleeping and that one needed a good rest after a brainwork for information to be transferred to permanent memory. Recently acquired knowledge otherwise will be lost, and the time spent on those tasks would be ultimately wasted.