Final answer:
Neuroplasticity is the process where healthy neurons grow new branches to compensate for adjacent damaged neurons, allowing the nervous system to adapt and change in response to various factors. Although neurogenesis is limited in adults, scientific advances show promise for nerve regeneration treatments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process by which axons of healthy neurons adjacent to damaged neurons grow new branches to compensate for the damage is called neuroplasticity. This biological phenomenon allows the nervous system to adapt and change in response to personal experiences, developmental processes, or injury. Neuroplasticity can involve the formation of new synaptic connections, pruning of unused synapses, changes in glial cells, and under certain conditions, the generation of new neurons. However, neurogenesis, or the formation of new neurons, occurs very limitedly in adult humans. Therefore, when neurons die or are damaged, they are not normally replaced to a significant extent. Nevertheless, advancements in science, such as the development of drugs that can facilitate nerve cell regeneration, offer hope for future therapies that could enhance the body's innate ability to repair its nervous system.