A conscience is our sense of what is right or wrong. For example, we know that abandoning a baby in the forest or betraying our friends is inherently wrong. We have evolved for social living because living in groups gives us a survival advantage in the wild. In bigger groups, we can share resources, and intimidate predators. Even though these are not necessarily adaptations we need now, in recent history, civilizations have advanced so fast, that we haven’t lost the adaptations we used to need. But how do we know what is right or wrong? It’s a complicated question, but it could have to do with social norms within the groups we live in. Our consciences will reflect the values and norms of the communities we live in, to help us integrate and be accepted in groups.

To understand what is right and wrong, we have to constantly process a lot of information. Our consciences are an example of an emergent property. An emergent property is a property that is greater than the sum of its parts. This means that although we can look at the individual systems that make this process possible, they would not fully explain how our conscience works. Although the connections between our actual conscience and the processes that make it possible is still very mysterious, we can try our best to break it down.

The central nervous system or CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord. These are the areas that the outward branching nerves relay information back to. The nerves are made of lots of neurons, and the brain and spinal cords are where the nerves conjoin.

Information is transmitted in the nervous system through a combination of electrical and chemical signals.

The Brain is a very important organ. It controls thoughts and emotions as well as processes we don’t have to consciously continue, like breathing, which keep us alive. These processes are possible because of the information communicated through neurons that make up the nervous system.

Our brains are made of two different types of tissue: gray matter, which processes information, and white matter, which connects and transmits information between the gray matter areas.

The brain can be divided into the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brainstem. Each has a different specific set of functions. The cerebrum is divided in half by the c-shaped divot called the corpus callosum. The right side of the cerebrum controls the left side of our bodies while the left side controls the right. We will be focusing on a specific area called the cerebral cortex.

Now, you may have heard of the cerebral cortex before. It controls our higher brain functions like thinking, memory, and consciousness. The cerebral cortex actually just refers to the gray matter layer on top of the cerebrum. It has many ridges called gyri (guy rye), and folds called sulci (sull kye) that increase its surface area, and thus its processing power. The cerebral cortex has different regions called lobes. The frontal lobes, parietal (puh rye uh tull) lobes, occipital (ock sip itul) lobes, and the temporal lobes. The frontal lobes control decision making, problem-solving and are connected to our social behavior.

In order for these processes to be carried out, lots of information has to reach the brain. These messages are carried through nerves made of cells called neurons. There are many different types of neurons, but they all share similar structures. Neurons have cell bodies and nuclei in a section called the soma, but they also have dendrites that receive messages from other neurons. The structure called the axon transmits signals to other neurons. The axon terminals are the area that reaches towards the dendrites of the next neuron. The myelin (mayalin) sheath is a protective coating that helps the signals travel faster.

Messages transmitted through neurons are a combination of electrical and chemical signals. Chemical messages called neurotransmitters travel between neurons. Along with an electrical charge from the previous neuron, neurotransmitters are recognized by the receptors of the next neuron. This signals the cell to let in ions which change the electrical charge of the cell interior. This triggers the release of the same neurotransmitter to the next neuron, repeating the process.

This would not be possible without proteins called Ion-channel linked receptors. These proteins bond to the cell membrane and create a channel for ions to enter the cell. The inside of the channel is polar making it hydrophilic or water-loving which allows for ions to pass through. When ions enter the cell, the cell gains a different charge than the extracellular environment which triggers the release of neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters can be excitatory, signaling the target cell to take an action; inhibitory, decreasing the ability for the target cell to take action; or modulatory, signaling many neurons at once.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA is a mood-regulating neurotransmitter. It is inhibitory, meaning that it keeps neurons from getting too excited. A lack of GABA can result in sleeplessness and anxiety. This is a neurotransmitter that could influence our thoughts and feelings around certain actions. We feel emotions when we do things we think are right or wrong.

So now we can zoom out and look at the bigger picture. While we don’t completely know how these processes result in our consciences, we know that our thoughts and emotions are the results of the complex processing of information passed through chemical and electrical signals. There are an incredible number of pieces that have to work together to achieve these processes, but together they influence our social behavior and how we interact with others and the world around us.