Chapter Five

• Neuron


  A nerve cell that receives and transmits neural information
• Synapse


  The region that includes the axon terminals of the presynaptic neuron, the synaptic gap, and the dendrites of the postsynaptic neuron
• Neuroplasticity


  The ability of the brain to change in response to experience or environmental stimulation
• Developmental plasticity


  Changes in the brain that occur in response to ageing and maturation
• Synaptogenesis


  The formation of synapses between neurons as axon terminals and dendrites grow
• Synaptic pruning


  The elimination of underused synapses
• Myelination


  The formation and development of myelin around the axon of a neuron
• Brain trauma


  Damage to the brain that is caused by an external force
• Adaptive plasticity


  The brain’s ability to restore adequate neural functioning over time after sustaining injury
• Sprouting


  A neuron’s ability to develop new branches on the dendrites or axons
• Rerouting


  A neuron’s ability to form a new connection with another undamaged neuron
• Acquired brain injury


  All types of brain injury that occur after birth
• Neurological disorders


  Diseases characterised by any damage to or malfunctioning of the nervous system
• Parkinson’s disease


  A progressive disease of the nervous system characterised by both motor and non-motor symptoms
• Neurodegenerative diseases


  A disease characterised by the progressive loss of neurons in the brain
• Dopamine


  A neurotransmitter that is responsible for the coordination of voluntary movement and the experience of pleasure and pain
• Epilepsy


  A neurological disorder that is associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain and is categorised by recurrent seizures
• Seizures


  Brief episodes of uncontrolled and unrestricted electrical discharging of neurons in the brain
• Machine learning


  An element of artificial intelligence that allows software to become more accurate at predicting outcomes by mimicking the way that humans learn
• Gut


  The long flexible tube from mouth to anus that is the passageway involved in digestion
• Gut-brain axis


  The bidirectional connection between the gut and the brain through multiple parts of the nervous system
• Gut microbiota


  All of the microorganisms that live in the gut
• Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

  A progressive and fatal brain disease associated with repeated head injuries and concussions
• Concussion


  A mild traumatic brain injury that temporarily disrupts brain function
• Post-mortem examination


  An assessment of a dead body that occurs to determine the cause of death
• Neurofibrillary tangles


  An accumulation of the protein tau that forms insoluble tangles within neurons, which then inhibit the transportation of essential substances and eventually kill the neuron entirely