That is a good question. That paper discusses brain development, not peripheral issues.

Synapses in the brain are pruned during development from infancy to adulthood. The question in that paper alludes to the fact that excess synapses are needed for learning and setting neuronal pathways in the brain. For example, a nerve cell may lose 2 or 3 dendrites with their synapses, while learning a skill. But the whole nerve cell system remains intact. This article states NEW synapses affected.

The nerve body, is not listed as affected. The synapses exist on the end of dendrites opposite to the axon.
If the axon goes, that cell then cannot communicate with any other nerve cell.

Medical treatment is full of things that destroy the body. SSRI drugs kill CELLS in the brain. This has been known for a long time now.

It is thought that some psychiatric drugs given to children, actually change them permanently. Hence the controversy with them.

I am not a huge fan of gabapentin or Lyrica. I think they are overprescribed. One sees on various internet boards, more problems than improvements with them.