Beyond Volume Conduction: The Encephalocutaneous Electrical Pathways (EEP) Hypothesis for Vascular-Aligned, Non-Neuronal EEG Genesis and Propagation

The traditional understanding of electroencephalogram (EEG) genesis and propagation center on the summation of neuronal field potentials transmitted to the scalp via passive volume conduction. While this neurocentric view has dominated EEG interpretation for decades, certain bioelectrical observations—such as the abrupt disappearance of EEG activity following cerebral circulatory arrest—suggest that a more nuanced mechanism may underlie the transmission of brain-derived electrical signals to the body surface. This paper introduces a novel vascular-electrical hypothesis termed Encephalocutaneous Electrical Pathways (EEP), which proposes that specialized, non-neuronal electrical conduits—distinct from classical axonal pathways—exist within both intracranial and extracranial compartments and serve to transmit bioelectrical activity from the brain to the skin surface. EEP comprises two structurally integrated components: an intracranial network of microscopic electrical pathways, hypothesized to propagate bioelectricity independently of synaptic transmission and aligned with perivascular microenvironments, and an extracranial extension of these pathways that follows vascular channels through the meninges and connective tissues to terminate in the skin. These encephalocutaneous terminations constitute the interface through which EEG signals emerge on the scalp. Although closely associated with vascular architecture, EEP structures are not vascular themselves, but anatomically distinct entities that utilize the vascular corridors for spatial orientation. This hypothesis accounts for EEG disappearance following loss of cerebral perfusion and posits a direct, vascular-aligned but non-vascular electrical continuum from brain to skin. If validated, the EEP model would challenge conventional views of EEG signal origin and propagation and establish a foundation for exploring extracranial bioelectric communication. It opens new directions for anatomical mapping, electrophysiological validation, and the development of novel EEG technologies that account for encephalocutaneous bioelectricity.