Turner Junior research group
Sex research and Forensic Psychiatric Neuroscience
Group Leader
Dr. med. Dr. biol. hum. Dipl.-Psych. Daniel Turner
Funktionen: Assistant physician
Group members
M.Sc. Psych Priscilla Gregorio
M.Sc. Jochen Wolba
The main focus of research is the investigation of the (neuro-)psychological and neurobiological correlates of sexual disorders and other mental illnesses with a high relevance for forensic psychiatry. A special emphasis is on the investigation of men who have been convicted of a sexual offense and suffer from a paraphilic and/or hypersexual disorder. A second focus is on neurobiological correlates of aggression in ADHD and how this may lead to criminal behavior. We use a variety of examination methods, including questionnaire surveys, neuropsychological testing procedures, and structural and functional MRI.
There is close cooperation with the Retz and Tüscher research groups as well as with the Outpatient Clinic for Sexual Health and the Outpatient Clinic for Impulse Control Disorders and the Forensic Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic.
Major research areas
- Neuropsychological correlates of pedophilia and sexual offending
- Psychological and criminological risk factors for violent and sexual offending
- Neurobiological correlates of aggression in ADHD
- Pharmacological treatment of paraphilias and hypersexual disorder
Research collaborations
- Institute of Sex Research, Sexual Medicine, and Forensic Psychiatry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Prof. Dr. P. Briken)
- Kriminologische Zentralstelle e.V. Wiesbaden (Prof. Dr. Rettenberger)
Key publications:
- Turner, D., Roszyk, A., Szumski, F., & Rettenberger, M. (2020). Deviant sexual interests but not antisocial bejaviors are associated with deficits in executive functioning in individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children. Neuropsychology. [epub ahead of print].
- Turner, D., Petermann J., Harrison, K., Krueger, R., & Briken, P. (2019). Pharmacological treatment of patients with paraphilic disorders and risk of sexual offending: An international perspective. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 20(8), 616-625.
- Eher, R., Rettenberger, M., & Turner, D. (2019). The prevalence of mental disorders in incarcerated contact sexual offenders. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 139(6), 572-581.
- Turner, D., Laier, C., Brand, M., Bockshammer, T., Welsch, R., & Rettenberger, M. (2018). Response inhibition and impulsive decision-making in sexual offenders against children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 127(5), 471-481.
- Retz, W., Ginsberg, Y., Turner, D., Barra, S., Retz-Junginger, P., Larsson, H., & Asherson, P. (2021). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), antisociality and delinquent behavior over the lifespan. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 120, 236-248.
- Turner, D. & Briken, P. (2018). Treatment of paraphilic disorders in sexual offenders or men with a risk of sexual offending with luteinizing-hormone-releasing-hormone-agonists: an updated systematic review. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 15(1), 77-93.