Parkinson’s sufferer plans record-breaking ocean row to reveal clues for treatment – Telegraph.co.uk

Mr Buttery will be joined on his journey, which marks 200-years since the publication of James Parkinsons essay on the disease, by skipper Billy Taylor and fellow rowers Barry Hayes and James Plumley.

Mr Taylor, 44, said:Rowing the Indian Ocean is no easy feat at the best of times - the physical and mental challenge will be enormous for all of us.

For Robin, the row will be that much harder. Hes already a winner in my books.

Scientists will use an on-board camera to monitor in minute detail Mr Butterys reaction to conditions around him and the effort he will make during the ocean crossing.

They will compare this to the results of a detailed medical examination of the crew set off and after they arrive, in order to understand whether Parkinsons is metabolic as well as a neurological disorder, Professor Helen Dawes, who leads the Movement Science Group at the Oxford Brookes, said: Anyone involved in sport will know that motor skills and fitness improve with practice and that your movement is affected when you are tired.

We will monitor motor skill changes, alongside physiological and emotional responses. Its an important piece of research that will help us better understand how the metabolic, cardiovascular and neuro-muscular systems cope and adapt to prolonged endurance activity.

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Parkinson's sufferer plans record-breaking ocean row to reveal clues for treatment - Telegraph.co.uk