Memory consolidation is a category of processes that stabilize a
memory trace after its initial acquisition. Consolidation is distinguished into two specific processes,
synaptic consolidation, which is synonymous with late-phase LTP and occurs within the first few hours after learning, and
systems consolidation, where
hippocampus-dependent memories become independent of the
hippocampus over a period of weeks to years. Recently, a third process has become the focus of research,
reconsolidation, in which previously-consolidated memories can be made
labile again through reactivation of the
memory trace.