aberrant synaptic pruning vs. abnormal synaptic pruning

[GoodTaste]

Do you think "aberrant" and "abnormal" inchangeable here?

aberrant: different from what is typical or usual, especially in an unacceptable way.
abnormal: different from what is usual or average, especially in a way that is bad.

The definitions offered by Cambridge Dictionary are very similar and seem to be interchangeable. But I am worrying there might be some nuance that I fail to see. So I turn to Oxford Dictionaries:

Aberrant: Departing from an accepted standard.
Abnormal: Deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying.

Okay, aberrant seems to be a slightly stronger than abnormal. I am not sure.


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Daily alcohol intake triggers aberrant synaptic pruning leading to synapse loss and anxiety-like behavior

Microglia binge on synapses
Alcohol abuse has detrimental cognitive and behavioral consequences. Binge drinking activates resident phagocytic immune cells in the brain called microglia in mice and is associated with anxiety in humans. Socodato et al. found that a binge drinking protocol in male mice induced microglia to selectively scavenge excitatory synapses between neurons in the prefrontal cortex. The loss of these connections did not cause neuronal death during the study but instead depressed neurotransmission and increased anxiety-like behaviors in the mice. These findings suggest that binge drinking induces anxiety by activating microglia that destroy neuronal connections.

Source: Science Sep.22, 2020
https://stke.sciencemag.org/content/13/650/eaba5754.full

 

[probus]

It's not inconceivable that to experts in this field of science there may be some slight difference between aberrant and abnormal. But as your dictionaries have told you, in ordinary usage they are indistinguishable.

 

[tedmc]

Aberration in used commonly in optical science where light rays which are expected to come to focus at a certain point fail to do, due to defects in the lens. It is applied to other situations where the departure from what is expected is slight rather than distinct, as in normal versus abnormal.

 

[PeterCW]

Some people will associate the word "abnormal" with outdated views on mental health so a scientist would definitely avoid using it in a paper about brain function.

 

[jutfrank]

I think it's quite typical to use aberrant in this sense in neuroscience.

 

[Tarheel]

In everyday speech "abnormal" is the word of choice. In something like neuroscience "aberrant" is possibly more likely.

(It is clear that alcohol is a drug.)