Plow, Ela, PhD

Dr. Ela B. Plow is a neuroscientist and clinician physical therapist recognized internationally for her research on brain stimulation, neuroplasticity, and the neural mechanisms underlying motor recovery after stroke and spinal cord injury.

Dr. Plow’s research interests broadly include brain stimulation, motor control, neuroimaging, clinical neuroscience and rehabilitation. Thus far, the lab has focused on utilizing functional neuroimaging to discern substrates of movement control and movement relearning-related plasticity in the healthy vs. post-stroke brain to draw upon their significance for rehabilitation. Furthermore, using noninvasive brain stimulation, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), the team has explored ways to harness plasticity within implicated substrates to promote recovery in stroke.

Over 16 years, she has built a federally and foundation-funded research program centered on noninvasive brain stimulation — including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) — to examine and harness plasticity in motor and sensory networks. Her work has resulted in 93 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals including Nature Medicine, Lancet Neurology, Stroke, and Journal of Neuroscience.

Dr. Plow is an active leader in the rehabilitation science community, serving as a Fellow of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation, Chair of its Education and Training Committee, and a Standing Member of the NIH Motor Function and Speech Rehabilitation Study Section She has received major awards from the NIH, VA, American Heart Association, Department of Defense, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, and Paralyzed Veterans of America Foundation.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Understanding of normal aging- and disease-related neurodegenerative markers, particularly those affecting motor networks of the brain associated with movement dysfunction, using TMS
• Modifying activity of motor networks to “stall” or alleviate neurodegenerative effects, in turn improving movement control with rehabilitation and training
• Investigating whether neural substrates associated with training and rehabilitation can be modified adaptively using neuromodulation to supplement therapeutic benefit
• Noninvasive brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS) for motor recovery after stroke and SCI
• Cerebellar deep brain stimulation for post-stroke motor rehabilitation
• Longitudinal recovery trajectory modeling using electronic health record data

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• NIH-Funded Research, multiple awards investigating neural mechanisms of upper extremity motor recovery and developing rTMS protocols targeting contralesional motor cortex in more-severely impaired stroke survivors
• NIH-Funded Research, career development award supporting neurophysiological investigation of motor recovery substrates in stroke
• NIH-Funded Research, UH3 award for noninvasive brain stimulation to re-establish motor function in paralyzed muscles in spinal cord injury
• VA Merit Review-Funded Research, noninvasive brain stimulation combined with rehabilitation to promote adaptive plasticity and motor recovery after stroke
• DOD-Funded Research,$2.5M award for brain stimulation study in patients with paralyzed upper limbs due to SCI; exploring contralesional cortex stimulation to improve reach and grasp

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• Best Oral Presentation Award (3rd Place), American Spinal Injury Association, 2026
• Fellow, American Society of Neurorehabilitation, 2025
• Rising Star Award, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, 2021