The central nervous system is key to regulating energy balance and metabolism and is intimately involved in developing metabolic disorders. Given the increasing prevalence of metabolic disorders, it is essential to unravel the neural intricacies governing energy balance and metabolism. Contemporary neural technologies have broadened our insights into these behaviors, yet standardized methodologies are needed to ensure the reliability and replicability of experimental findings. Although food intake, energy expenditure, and body composition measurements are widely adopted as a straightforward means to evaluate energy balance in rodents, there is a lack of uniform criteria across different laboratories that introduce variability. Discrepancies also arise in terms of body temperature evaluation in rodents, potentially leading to inconclusive outcomes. Analogous concerns permeate other assessments. 

This Methods Collection underscores the prevailing methods utilized for evaluating energy balance, metabolism, and metabolic disorders, emphasizing the critical need for standardized protocols to enhance the consistency and reliability of experimental results. From animal models and pharmacological interventions to neurotransmitter and hormone assays, metabolic imaging (such as fMRI and PET), EEG and MEG measurements, and considerations of genetic and epigenetic factors, this collection will serve as a comprehensive library of methods to assess the role of the CNS in energy balance, metabolism, and metabolic disorders.