The neurons of fleshers (e.g. colonials, humanoid cylons) have many internal components and chemical compounds that are completely unique. Although organic, they do not exist in normal human nerve cells or anywhere else in nature for that matter.

The unique properties of these components causes the neurons to generate electrical signals that are digital in nature. This means that the consciousness that emerges from flesher/cylon brains is based totally upon electronic digital information transfer rather than electrochemical interactions like the natural human brain. This in turn means that flesher/cylon consciousness is fundamentally an advanced artificial intelligence software program encased in what is essentially an organic computer system (i.e. highly advanced computing platform). That's why their consciousness can interface with a ship's computer, be programmed with false memories and instinctive knowledge and can even be trasmitted like a computer program...because it IS a computer program. A computer program via biological hardware. Yet, it still mimics the functions of a human mind processing the software of human thought.