neuroscience question..anybody interested in it?

Question

what is the molecular difference between the neurons that control the conscient part of our nervous system and those controlling the unconscient part of us? more exactly the molecular and histological differnce between the somatic and the autonom nervous system?

and the central nervous system? is it conscient or unconscient?

Answer 1

The central nervous system (CNS) is the spinal corder and the brain. It contains neurons that deal with both " concious" and "non-concious" (i.e. reflexes) processes. So things as simple as the knee jerk reflex (the hit your knee with a hammer thing), that only involves two neurons, all the way up to learning, memory and conciousness.

The differences between this autonomic and somatic nervous system are massive; however (though I'm no expert on spinal anatomy), I'm pretty sure there will be more histological/molecular differences between neurons within those two groups, than between them.

However, the easiest difference is that somatosensory neurons project from the peripheral to the CNS directly (or vice versa). While autonomic neurons project from outside the CNS (in the autonomic ganglion) to the organ. There are neurons that project to the autonomic ganglion from the CNS.

Your first question however, is impossible to answer. One can not devide neurons into two groups, one that is involved in conciousness, and one that isn't. Even if we take classical unconscious reflexes, like the autonomic nervous system (ANS). A rush of adrenaline cause by ANS will change the way you think.