Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for generating and executing biological convolutional neural network layers. One of the methods obtaining a network input; and processing the network input using a neural network to generate a network output, wherein the neural network is configured to perform operations comprising: generating a layer input to a convolutional neural network layer based on the network input; and generating a layer output of the convolutional neural network layer based on the layer input, comprising applying a convolutional kernel to the layer input, wherein the convolutional kernel corresponds to a specified neuron in a brain of a biological organism and values of parameters of the convolutional kernel are based on synaptic connectivity between the specified neuron and each of a plurality of other neurons in the brain of the biological organism.