FoundationalConceptsNeuroscience

HO Ly ~ NH - OH tes, (yy NHa

HO

Dopamine HO Amphetamine

Norepinephrine

HN ~~ oo^6 NH»

HN

COOH

Methamphetamine Phenylalanii enylatanine

Ephedrine

In fact, they can all be chemically converted from one to another in
straightforward ways, given the right conditions. And because of their
similar molecular shapes, there are connections between what these
molecules do in living organisms.
The three molecules below—tryptophan, an amino acid; serotonin,
a neurotransmitter; and psilocin, a psychoactive molecule from
Psilocybe mushrooms—all look somewhat similar to one another and
different from the molecules pictured above.

oO

OH \

NH2 “os \

N \ Serot erotonin N H

H Psilocin

Tryptophan

Finally, here is another famous molecule—caffeine.