Department / Division:
Surgery / Neurosurgery

Address:
DUMC 3807
Durham, NC 27710

Appointment Telephone:
919-684-6706

Office Telephone:
919-684-6706

Fax Telephone:
919-681-8068

• MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1975

• Neurosurgery, University of Washington, 1976-1981

• Neurophysiology, University of Oslo (Norway), 1981-1982

Clinical Interests:
Movement disorders, stereotactic neurosurgery, complex spine abnormalities, general adult neurosurgery

Research Interests:
Ongoing clinical research interests include analysis of outcomes of spine procedures, particularly critical evaluation of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and spine reconstructions, together with Dr.'s Ricardo Pietrobahn and William Richardson in Orthopedics.  In addition, the evaluation of stereotactic procedures for relief of movement disorders continues with group protocols on thalamic, subthalamic and pallidal stimulating sites, controlled by single unit recording techniques. In collaboration with Dr. Miguel Nicolelis we have assessed cortical and subcortical arrays for augmentation of motor function, using a brain-machine interface approach.  Basic science research interests focus on evaluation of hypoglycemia, epilepsy and seizure mechanisms as functions of both post-lesion injury and aging, mechanisms of susceptibility of the aged brain to hypoxia/ischemia, particularly mitochondrial involvement and enhancement of lesion recovery using embryonic and stem cell neural grafts to the brain.  These basic science interests include new approaches to optical imaging of the brain, differentiation of stem cells for neuronal transplantation (with Dr. Ashok Shetty, Neurosurgery) and evaluation of mitochondrial function during both aging and hypoxia/ischemia).  

Representative Publications:
Patil PG, Turner DA, Pietrobon R. National trends in surgical procedures for degenerative cervical spine disease: 1990-2000. Neurosurgery. 2005 Oct;57(4):753-8; discussion 753-8. (2005) Abstract

Foster KA, Beaver CJ, Turner DA. Interaction between tissue oxygen tension and NADH imaging during synaptic stimulation and hypoxia in rat hippocampal slices. Neuroscience. 2005;132(3):645-57. (2005) Abstract

Turner DA (editor).  Modern Neurosurgery: Clinical Translation of Neuroscience Advances.  CRC Press, New York, 2004.  Includes 16 chapters, and 11 co-authored chapters (2004)

Turner DA, Shetty AK. Clinical prospects for neural grafting therapy for hippocampal lesions and epilepsy. Neurosurgery. 2003 Mar;52(3):632-44; discussion 641-4. (2003) Abstract

Speciale AC, Pietrobon R, Urban CW, Richardson WJ, Helms CA, Major N, Enterline D, Hey L, Haglund M, Turner DA. Observer variability in assessing lumbar spinal stenosis severity on magnetic resonance imaging and its relation to cross-sectional spinal canal area. Spine. 2002 May 15;27(10):1082-6. (2002) Abstract

Fayuk D, Aitken PG, Somjen GG, Turner DA. Two different mechanisms underlie reversible, intrinsic optical signals in rat hippocampal slices. J Neurophysiol. 2002 Apr;87(4):1924-37. (2002) Abstract

Danisa OA, Turner D, Richardson WJ. Surgical correction of lumbar kyphotic deformity: posterior reduction "eggshell" osteotomy. J Neurosurg Spine. 2000 Jan;92(1):50-6. (2000) Abstract