The central nervous system acts as an integrating center for signals related to food intake and energy expenditure.

“there are CNS central nervous system mechanisms they're not all in the hypothalamus but many of them are and many of those that aren't do interact with the hypothalamus and that that can be regarded that organ or set of cells can be regarded as the integrating center for basically the reception of signals that are of relevance to how an organism ought to respond to its environment in terms of food intake and also for control of some of the aspects of energy expenditure that are not necessarily under voluntary control such as autonomic nervous system”