Do Razer Naga's 1-12 side buttons act as additional buttons?

I play MMOs and FPS - my question is ca the Naga's 1-12 side buttons act as their own independent buttons or do they act as the "1" through "=" at the top of the keyboard? For example, I am wondering if when I key bind them, do they seem to act as a "Button x"? I have read reviews that they can be reprogrammed easily and I have heard that they can not be reprogrammed and act as the above. Much thanks in advance, if you need any clarification please feel free to ask.