Physiological homeostasis and disease progression are orchestrated by intricate interactions among neural, immune, and metabolic systems. Beyond their traditional boundaries, accumulating evidence reveals that nerves, immune cells, and metabolic signals engage in dynamic bidirectional communication that governs inflammation, tissue regeneration, energy balance, and stress adaptation. Aberrations in this neural–immune–metabolic network underlie a broad spectrum of disorders—including cancer, metabolic syndromes, neurodegeneration, autoimmunity, and infection—by reprogramming cellular activation states, altering nutrient fluxes, and reshaping systemic responses.

This Research Topic aims to unify emerging discoveries that illuminate how neural signaling integrates with immune and metabolic regulation in both physiological and pathological contexts. We welcome studies spanning molecular mechanisms, intercellular communication, organ-level physiology, and translational insights. By bridging neurobiology, immunology, and metabolism, this collection seeks to establish a system-level framework for understanding how neural–immune–metabolic crosstalk governs health and disease, and to inspire novel therapeutic strategies targeting this interconnected regulatory axis.

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Perspectives, and Methods articles addressing—but not limited to—the following areas:

· Neural regulation of immune and metabolic functions: roles of sympathetic, parasympathetic, enteric, or sensory circuits in shaping immunity, metabolism, and tissue homeostasis.

· Neuroimmune communication: neurotransmitter- and neuropeptide-mediated modulation of inflammatory and repair processes in peripheral organs and the central nervous system.

· Metabolic feedback on neural and immune circuits: how nutrient status, energy stress, or hormonal cues influence neural plasticity and immune cell function.

· Systemic and brain–viscera communication: neural pathways linking peripheral metabolism, immune tone, and central control of stress, mood, and energy expenditure.

· Multi-omics and spatial systems biology: integration of connectomics, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, metabolomics, and computational modeling to map neural–immune–metabolic networks.

· Translational and therapeutic perspectives: pharmacological, neuromodulatory, and bioengineering strategies targeting neural–immune–metabolic coupling to restore homeostasis in diverse diseases.

The ultimate goal is to develop a holistic framework that transcends organ boundaries, explaining how the neural–immune–metabolic interface coordinates health maintenance and drives pathological remodeling.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

The Neural–Immune–Metabolic Interactions in Health and Disease