Dopamine and serotonin are both neurotransmitters chemical messengers that transmit signals between cells which regulate bodily functions like mood, sleep, and digestion.

While dopamine and serotonin have similar effects on the body, they work a bit differently. Here's what you need to know about the similarities and differences between dopamine and serotonin.

"While it does not precipitate the pleasurable experience, dopamine does serve to reinforce the pleasurable experience," says Kristin M. Stover, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in Florida and telehealth specialist with AristaMD, a telehealth provider.

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Because dopamine is related to the reward system and reinforces pleasurable experiences, it is thought to play a role in addiction and compulsive gambling, though researchers aren't yet sure of the exact link between dopamine and these behaviors.

Meanwhile, low levels of serotonin can have the opposite effect and negatively impact your mood. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression as well as sleep and appetite disturbances, Stover says.

Serotonin also regulates important bodily functions. For example, your gut, which houses 90% of the body's total serotonin, releases chemicals when you eat to stimulate your intestines and move food through your digestive system. Blood platelets also release serotonin when you get a cut or scrape to heal wounds.

Serotonin and dopamine do not function independently of one another. Instead, they work together to create complex patterns of behavior.

"When one neurotransmitter is altered, there is a change in the function or prevalence of the other substance," Stover says. "Increased levels of serotonin can lead to decreased dopamine activity and vice versa."

Because both dopamine and serotonin affect mood, they are thought to play a role in mood disorders like depression. For example, researchers have observed decreased levels of serotonin in people with depression and other types of mental illness, like anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"Because serotonin is responsible for sleep, mood, and digestion, we often see symptoms of depression that reflect that imbalance, such as sleeping too much or too little, having no appetite or overeating," Stover says.

Long-term or chronic stress can also lead to elevated cortisol levels a hormone released as a stress response. High levels of cortisol reduce the production of both serotonin and dopamine and have been linked to depression, says Nicole Avena, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Mount Sinai Medical School and a visiting professor of health psychology at Princeton University.

"Targeting the dopamine system is one of the ways in which we can look at potential mechanisms and treatments for depressive behaviors," Avena says.

More here:
Serotonin vs. dopamine: A guide to the two mood-regulating hormones and how they can affect your health - Business Insider India

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