Convolutional Glial Networks

Glial cells, also known as glia, are cells found in the brain and nervous system alongside neurons. They are necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system and perform a variety of supporting and protective functions. Glial cells make up about 90% of all cells of the brain. There are several types of these cells depending on their functions, e.g., astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia. Astrocytes are the largest group of glial cells. They perform many functions, such as maintaining chemical and ion homeostasis in the brain, supporting neuronal metabolism, participating in the formation and maintenance of synaptic connections, and delivering nutrients and oxygen to neurons. Oligodendrocytes are responsible for the production of myelin in the central nervous system, while in the peripheral nervous system this role is played by Schwann cells. Oligodendrocytes are responsible for the production of myelin sheaths, which surround the axons of neurons in the central nervous system. Myelin sheaths provide isolation and accelerate the conduction of nerve impulses. Microglia perform an immune function in the brain. They are the first line of defence in the event of damage to nerve tissue and are involved in inflammatory processes and the removal of dead cells and pathogens. Glial cells also perform supportive functions such as delivering nutrients and oxygen to neurons, maintaining ion and pH balance, removing toxins and metabolic waste, and providing structural support to neurons. The main subject of investigations described in this section is the assessment of the potential of applying the latest findings on the structure and function of the human brain to optimize the design of artificial neural networks. The possibilities of using proprietary glial structures, among others, will be presented here, in simplifying the structures of convolutional networks and extracting from them knowledge on real problems related to the security of computer networks.