Ballus Santacana's Syncytial Mesh Model reveals astrocytes orchestrate brain-wide coherence

Andreu Ballus Santacana's Syncytial Mesh Model, published on arXiv in 2024 and revised in 2026, introduces a radical new perspective on large-scale brain dynamics. The model is a phenomenological effective theory comprising three layers: local neural circuitry, connectome-scale coupling, and a slow mesoscale control-field substrate associated with astrocytic syncytial organization. Unlike traditional models that treat neurons as the sole drivers of oscillatory activity, this framework positions astrocytes as modulators of neuronal excitability and coherence structure. The astrocytic layer does not generate electrophysiological signals directly; instead, it shapes metastable coordination across spatial scales through continuous-field interactions. This provides a candidate explanation for phenomena that resist reduction to synaptic connectivity, such as distributed plasticity and large-scale traveling waves.

Numerical simulations of the effective field dynamics yield stable traveling-wave propagation, smooth phase-gradient organization, and low-frequency modal structure qualitatively matching experimentally observed infra-slow and delta/theta patterns. An analytic mesoscale coherence model further shows how scale-dependent synchronization probabilities emerge from slow-field modulation and damping dynamics—without requiring globally phase-locked oscillations. The paper represents a significant step in bridging gap between cellular-level neuroscience and whole-brain imaging data, offering a mathematically rigorous handle on astrocytic contributions to cognition and consciousness.