From the course: Training Neural Networks in C++ (2021)

Neurons and the brain - C++ Tutorial

From the course: Training Neural Networks in C++ (2021)

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Neurons and the brain

- [Instructor] Earlier, I mentioned that neural networks were inspired by the brain. So it makes sense to take a quick view at the ultimate computer. There are many things we know about the brain and so many other things we don't. Here are some important things we do know. The brain is made of neurons. The brain is a biological neural network. Each neuron in the brain performs a very modest cognitive function contributing to larger cognitive functions. Finally, the combination of these cognitive functions results in our brain's mental ability. Everything the brain does is the result of these tiny computations, feelings, memories, movement, speech, dreams, all of it. So let's take some of the known facts of neurons to come up with a computational model of a biological neuron. The structure of biological neurons consists of several parts. We are only interested in three parts of the neuron. Dendrites take electrical signals coming from nerves or other neurons. These signals may come from sense organs, like the eyes, tongue, or ears. The nucleus of the neuron is where some processing is believed to happen so that the combination of inputs can yield some response. This response is usually interpreted as binary so that if the stimulus from the inputs is high enough it is said that the neuron fires an output signal. This output signal goes through an extension, called the axon, into other neurons or some other part of the body that will react to this signal, such as muscles. Now let's build a computational model of a neuron based on these three elements.

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