Brain Stim for Upper Limb (Episode 144)

Guest: Ela Plowe & Zac Wolfe

Zac Wolfe is known for his grit and determination. He is a great example of how you can live a full life with a spinal cord injury and still maintain the fire to push for better outcomes. A few years ago, Zac enrolled in a Department of Defense, SCIRP-funded clinical trial using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) to improve upper limb function.  

In this conversation we bring on Zac and the principal investigator of the study, Dr. Ela Plow of the Cleveland Clinic, to discuss how TDCS works along with the details of the study and what function Zac recovered. We also talk about the role of belief and determination in study participants, the importance of advocacy, why siloed thinking hinders research progress, how small functional gains become cascades for additional recovery and much more. This is an interesting conversation that I know you’ll enjoy, so let’s get to it! 
 

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud

Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque

Guest Bio

Dr. Ela B. Plow, PhD, PT, FASNR, is a physical therapist and a neuroscientist dedicated to advancing motor recovery in individuals with stroke and spinal cord injury through cutting-edge neuromodulation therapies. She earned her PhD in Rehabilitation Science and Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is the Director of Research at Cleveland Clinic Rehabilitation Hospital (CCRH) and holds academic appointments at the Cleveland Clinic College of Medicine. and Case Western Reserve University. A Fellow of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation (ASNR), Dr. Plow leads a multidisciplinary, NIH-, DoD-, and AHA-funded research program focused on identifying brain-based biomarkers of recovery and developing innovative interventions using tools such as fMRI, TMS, and functional electrical stimulation.

Dr. Plow has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, including in prestigious journals such as Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Nature Medicine, Stroke, Journal of Physiology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Annals of Neurology, Lancet Neurology and Brain Stimulation. She has mentored many emerging scientists and clinicians, some of whom have secured competitive NIH R01, K99/R00, and NCMRR R03 awards. Dr. Plow serves on study sections for the NIH.

Connect with Ela B. Plow here:

Zac Wolfe is a motivational speaker, adaptive lifestyle creator, father of four, and spinal cord injury advocate from PA. After sustaining a life-changing C5-C6 spinal cord injury at 19 years old, Zac refused to let limitations define his future. Through relentless determination, he rebuilt his independence and transformed his journey into a mission to inspire and empower others
facing adversity.

Today, Zac shares his life openly across social media through powerful storytelling focused on resilience, fatherhood, adaptive living, mental strength, and perseverance. With a growing audience of hundreds of thousands across platforms, he has become a respected voice in the disability community, using authentic content to break stereotypes and show what is possible after trauma.

Beyond content creation, Zac works professionally in quality systems, sustainability, and manufacturing while also collaborating with leading adaptive and mobility brands. His passion lies in combining lived experience with advocacy to improve accessibility, encourage independence, and help others navigate life after spinal cord injury. Whether speaking on stage, creating content, consulting on research initiatives, or raising his family alongside his wife Brittney, Zac’s message remains the same: adversity does not define a person...purpose does.

Connect with Zac Wolfe here: