Thomas Neylan

Dr. Thomas Neylan is a Professor in Residence in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. He serves as the Director of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) Clinic and the Stress and Health Research Program at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. His work bridges clinical practice, research, and education in the fields of trauma, sleep, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Neylan's research primarily focuses on the role of sleep in emotion regulation, cognitive function, and metabolic health, particularly in patients with PTSD and aging populations with neurodegenerative disorders. His work spans several key areas including the mechanisms linking trauma to PTSD development, sleep disturbances in neurodegenerative conditions, and the development of novel treatments for trauma-related disorders. He has pioneered research examining how sleep dysfunction contributes to PTSD pathophysiology and has investigated the role of maladaptive myelination as a mechanism underlying brain abnormalities associated with PTSD.

Dr. Neylan's scientific contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards including the UCSF 2017 J. Elliott Royer Award for Academic Psychiatry and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies 2021 Laufer Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award. His research has been consistently funded by major organizations including the National Institute of Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and various foundations.

As a principal investigator, Dr. Neylan has led numerous significant research projects, including studies on sleep and circadian factors in PTSD risk and resilience, human-animal translational studies of myelination in PTSD, and clinical trials of novel treatments for PTSD. His work often takes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating neuroscience, psychology, and clinical medicine to advance our understanding of trauma-related disorders.