Dopamine and serotonin are both neurotransmitters in the nervous system. They play an important role in the behavior and body physiology.
But, they differ with each other on many aspects like
- Their Chemistry
- Physiological role
- Psychological effects
- Role in diseases
- Metabolism, etc.
Differences between Dopamine and Serotonin
| Sl.No | Feature | Dopamine | Serotonin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Functions | As a neurotransmitter | As both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. |
| 2 | Chemical structure | Chemically it has a catecholamine structure | Chemically it has a hydroxytryptamine structure |
| 3 | Synthesis | It is synthesized from the amino acid phenylalanine. | It is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan. |
| 4 | Secretion in brain | From neurons originating in substantia nigra | By nuclei that originate in the median raphe of the brain stem. |
| 5 | Location in body | It is mostly located in the brain and to some extent in the blood vessels, kidneys, paracrine cells, etc. | Almost 90% of it is located in the enterochromaffin cells of the digestive system. |
| 6 | Metabolism enzymes | It is metabolized by both COMT and MAO enzymes and also aldehyde dehydrogenase. | It is metabolized by only MAO and aldehyde dehydrogenase. |
| 7 | Receptors | There are 4 receptors like D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. | There are 14 receptors like 5HT1 as (1A,1B,1D), 5HT2 as (2A,2B,2C), 5HT3, 5HT4, 5HT5, 5HT6, 5HT7. |
| 8 | Autoreceptor | D2 receptor inhibits the release of dopamine | 5-HT1A receptor inhibits the release of serotonin |
| 9 | Regulation | Dopamine does not regulate the secretion of serotonin | Serotonin regulates the secretion of dopamine besides other neurotransmitters. |
| 10 | Mechanisms | It has an inhibitory effect in the basal ganglia, while in other brain areas, it has an excitatory effect. | It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. |
| 11 | Effect on the nervous system | It influences pleasure, causes addiction | It stabilizes mood, happiness, enhances communication in the nervous system. |
| 12 | On physiology | It has effects on body movements, lactation | It affects almost the whole body. It influences eating, digestion, sleeping, bowel movements, excretion, coagulation, wound healing, etc. |
| 13 | Role in diseases like | It has a role in Parkinson’s disease, psychosis, drug addiction, anxiety. | Like depression, anxiety, psychosis, irritable bowel syndrome, autism. |