Laura Straus, PhD
Assistant Professor
Psychiatry
School of Medicine

Dr. Straus is a psychologist and clinical science researcher based at the San Francisco VA medical center. Her research interests include: 1) sleep disturbance and emotional processes, including sleep disruption as a mechanism in trauma and stressor-related disorders; and 2) sleep disruption and its effects on daytime cognition and functioning.

Education & Training

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• Fellowship Clinical Research San Francisco VA Medical Center, Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers 12/2019
• Ph.D. Clinical Psychology San Diego State University / UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology 06/2017
• Internship Clinical Psychology San Francisco VA Medical Center 06/2017
• M.S. Clinical Psychology San Diego State University / UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology 05/2014
• B.A. Psychology University of California, Berkeley 05/2008

Interests

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• sleep
• mental health
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• insomnia

Grants and Projects

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• Examining the Effect of Sleep Disruption on Emotion Regulation and Trauma-Related Symptoms in Veterans, NIH, 2020-2024
• REM Sleep, Safety Signal Learning, and Extinction Processes in PTSD, NIH, 2015-2016

Publications (37)

Top publication keywords:
Persian Gulf SyndromeSleepMemory, Short-TermVeteransPolysomnographyWearable Electronic DevicesFearGalvanic Skin ResponseActigraphySleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersWristExtinction, PsychologicalSleep DeprivationStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticLearning

• Sleep Disruption in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
  Advances in the Psychobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms 2023 Laura D. Straus, Sara Rama, Kira Abirgas, Peter J. Colvonen
• Beta spectral power during sleep is associated with impaired recall of extinguished fear.
  Sleep 2023 Denis D, Bottary R, Cunningham TJ, Drummond SPA, Straus LD
• Potential Limitations for Assessing Adverse Posttraumatic Neuropsychiatric Sequelae With Wrist-Wearable Device and Self-report Survey-Reply.
  JAMA psychiatry 2023 Straus LD, Neylan TC, McLean SA
• Utility of Wrist-Wearable Data for Assessing Pain, Sleep, and Anxiety Outcomes After Traumatic Stress Exposure.
  JAMA psychiatry 2023 Straus LD, An X, Ji Y, McLean SA, Neylan TC, AURORA Study Group, Cakmak AS, Richards A, Clifford GD, Liu M, Zeng D, House SL, Beaudoin FL, Stevens JS, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, …
• The Impact of Sleep on Fear Extinction.
  Current topics in behavioral neurosciences 2023 Bottary R, Straus LD, Pace-Schott EF

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• Worse sleep, worsening post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Poor sleep quality associated with increases in PTSD symptoms amongst those experiencing high threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Journal of sleep research 2022 Straus LD, Dolsen EA, Nishimi K, Neylan TC, O'Donovan A
• The relationship of fear-potentiated startle and polysomnography-measured sleep in trauma-exposed men and women with and without PTSD: testing REM sleep effects and exploring the roles of an integrative measure of sleep, PTSD symptoms, and biological sex.
  Sleep 2022 Richards A, Inslicht SS, Yack LM, Metzler TJ, Russell Huie J, Straus LD, Dukes C, Hubachek SQ, Felmingham KL, Mathalon DH, Woodward SH, Neylan TC
• Diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea in a residential treatment program for veterans with substance use disorder and PTSD.
  Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy 2021 Colvonen PJ, Rivera GL, Straus LD, Park JE, Haller M, Norman SB, Ancoli-Israel S
• 047 Fear-Potentiated Startle and Sleep in Trauma-Exposed Men and Women with and without PTSD.
  Sleep 2021 Anne Richards, Sabra Inslicht, J Russell Huie, Leslie Yack, Laura Straus, Kim Felmingham, Steve Woodward, Thomas Neylan
• Brief behavioral treatment for insomnia improves psychosocial functioning in veterans: results from a randomized controlled trial.
  Sleep 2021 Maguen S, Gloria R, Huggins J, Goldstein LA, Kanady JC, Straus LD, Metzler TJ, Lujan C, Neylan TC
• Expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal in veterans with PTSD: Results from the mind your heart study.
  Journal of affective disorders 2021 Khan AJ, Maguen S, Straus LD, Nelyan TC, Gross JJ, Cohen BE
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in veterans with gulf war illness: Results from a randomized controlled trial.
  Life sciences 2021 Chao LL, Kanady JC, Crocker N, Straus LD, Hlavin J, Metzler TJ, Maguen S, Neylan TC
• Reducing Barriers to Behavioral Treatments for Insomnia: A Qualitative Examination of Veterans' Perspectives of BBTI.
  Behavioral sleep medicine 2021 Holder N, Kanady JC, Straus LD, Khan AJ, Purcell N, Huggins J, Gloria R, Neylan TC, Lujan C, Maguen S
• Diurnal Rhythm Robustness in Individuals With PTSD and Insomnia and The Association With Sleep.
  Journal of biological rhythms 2021 Mascaro L, Phillips AJK, Clark JW, Straus LD, Drummond SPA
• Examining the Effect of Sleep Disruption on the Neural Correlates of Fear Extinction.
  Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 2020 Straus LD, Richards A, Inslicht SS, Dolsen EA, Neylan TC
• Validation of sleep measurement in a multisensor consumer grade wearable device in healthy young adults.
  Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2020 Kanady JC, Ruoff L, Straus LD, Varbel J, Metzler T, Richards A, Inslicht SS, O'Donovan A, Hlavin J, Neylan TC
• 0503 Reductions in Sleep and Daily Rhythm Variability Following Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia.
  Sleep 2020 J C Kanady, L D Straus, R Gloria, T C Neylan, S Maguen
• 1074 Fear Reactivity And Sleep In Trauma-Exposed Males And Females With And Without PTSD.
  Sleep 2020 C Dukes, S Inslicht, S Q Hubachek, L Straus, L Ruoff, R Huie, K Felmingham, S Woodward, T C Neylan, A Richards
• 1112 Mental Health And Sleep Disorders Are Associated With Elevated C-reactive Protein In Returning Veterans.
  Sleep 2020 L D Straus, P J Colvonen, D Bertenthal, T C Neylan, A O’Donovan
• Examining sleep over time in a randomized control trial comparing two integrated PTSD and alcohol use disorder treatments.
  Drug and alcohol dependence 2020 Colvonen PJ, Straus LD, Drummond SPA, Angkaw AC, Norman SB
• Effects of sleep duration, time-of-day, and synchrony with circadian preference on flanker-task performance in internet braingame users from teens to advanced age.
  Sleep Medicine 2019 A. Richards, J. Kanady, R. Huie, L. Straus, S. Inslicht, A. Levihn-Coon, T. Metzler, T. Neylan
• Work by day and sleep by night, do not sleep too little or too much: Effects of sleep duration, time of day and circadian synchrony on flanker-task performance in internet brain-game users from teens to advanced age.
  Journal of sleep research 2019 Richards A, Kanady JC, Huie JR, Straus LD, Inslicht SS, Levihn-Coon A, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC
• A Review of the Relationship Between Emotional Learning and Memory, Sleep, and PTSD.
  Current psychiatry reports 2019 Colvonen PJ, Straus LD, Acheson D, Gehrman P
• Altered overnight levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in men and women with posttraumatic stress disorder.
  Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018 Küffer A, Straus LD, Prather AA, Inslicht SS, Richards A, Shigenaga JK, Madden E, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC, O'Donovan A
• REM sleep and safety signal learning in posttraumatic stress disorder: A preliminary study in military veterans.
  Neurobiology of stress 2018 Straus LD, Norman SB, Risbrough VB, Acheson DT, Drummond SPA
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Reduces Fear of Sleep in Individuals With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
  Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2018 Kanady JC, Talbot LS, Maguen S, Straus LD, Richards A, Ruoff L, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC
• Recent Advancements in Treating Sleep Disorders in Co-Occurring PTSD.
  Current psychiatry reports 2018 Colvonen PJ, Straus LD, Stepnowsky C, McCarthy MJ, Goldstein LA, Norman SB
• 0939 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and REM Sleep Continuity in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
  Sleep 2018 L D Straus, J C Kanady, A Richards, L Ruoff, T Metzler, T C Neylan
• 0949 The Relationship between Heavy Alcohol Use and Insomnia on PTSD Symptom Severity.
  Sleep 2018 P J Colvonen, L D Straus, S P Drummond, S B Norman
• Sleep Disruption, Safety Learning, and Fear Extinction in Humans: Implications for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
  Current topics in behavioral neurosciences 2018 Straus LD, Drummond SPA, Risbrough VB, Norman SB
• 1073 SLEEP, FEAR CONDITIONING, AND SAFETY SIGNAL LEARNING IN VETERANS WITH PTSD.
  Sleep 2017 LD Straus, D Acheson, VB Risbrough, SP Drummond, SB Norman
• Sleep Deprivation Disrupts Recall of Conditioned Fear Extinction.
  Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 2017 Straus LD, Acheson DT, Risbrough VB, Drummond SPA
• Sleep variability in military-related PTSD: a comparison to primary insomnia and healthy controls.
  Journal of traumatic stress 2015 Straus LD, Drummond SP, Nappi CM, Jenkins MM, Norman SB
• Fear conditioning, safety learning, and sleep in humans.
  The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 2014 Marshall AJ, Acheson DT, Risbrough VB, Straus LD, Drummond SP
• Neural correlates of working memory performance in primary insomnia.
  Sleep 2013 Drummond SP, Walker M, Almklov E, Campos M, Anderson DE, Straus LD
• The effects of two types of sleep deprivation on visual working memory capacity and filtering efficiency.
  PloS one 2012 Drummond SP, Anderson DE, Straus LD, Vogel EK, Perez VB
• Transference occurs across group boundaries
  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2010 Kraus MW, Chen S, Lee VA, Straus LD