SHEET /vs/serotonin-vs-dopamine · COMPARISON
Serotonin vs Dopamine: what is the difference?
How they differ
Both are monoamine neurotransmitters built from an amino acid, dopamine from tyrosine and serotonin from tryptophan, and both are routinely oversimplified in popular writing. Dopamine is most associated with motivation and the anticipation of reward, the wanting rather than the liking, and it is also central to movement, which is what Parkinson's disease depletes. Serotonin is spread more widely still, with the large majority of the body's supply in the gut rather than the brain, where it regulates motility. Neither is a happiness molecule, and the calling of one the reward chemical and the other the happiness chemical does not survive contact with the pharmacology. Serotonin is also the direct precursor the body converts into melatonin at night.
Side by side
| Serotonin | Dopamine | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C10H12N2O | C8H11NO2 |
| Molecular weight | 176.21 g/mol | 153.18 g/mol |
| Family | Neurotransmitters | Neurotransmitters |
| Everyday group | Body | Body |
| Functional groups | Amines, Aromatics, Phenols | Amines, Aromatics, Phenols |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Danger | Warning |
| LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | not recorded | 59 mg/kg (iv, mouse) |
| CAS number | 50-67-9 | 51-61-6 |
| PubChem CID | 5202 | 681 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Serotonin and Dopamine?
- Both are monoamine neurotransmitters built from an amino acid, dopamine from tyrosine and serotonin from tryptophan, and both are routinely oversimplified in popular writing. Dopamine is most associated with motivation and the anticipation of reward, the wanting rather than the liking, and it is also central to movement, which is what Parkinson's disease depletes. Serotonin is spread more widely still, with the large majority of the body's supply in the gut rather than the brain, where it regulates motility.
- Is Serotonin bigger than Dopamine?
- Serotonin is the heavier molecule, 176.21 g/mol against 153.18 g/mol for Dopamine. Serotonin is C10H12N2O and Dopamine is C8H11NO2.