Non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's 'hinder driving'

People with Parkinson's may have impaired driving skills due to problems with working memory, according to new research.

A study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found that common Parkinson's symptoms could mean that some people with Parkinson's cannot drive safely.

Researchers compared the driving performance of mild to moderate Parkinson's patients to those of similar ages and driving experience who did not have the condition.

Working memory problems meant that those with Parkinson's were less likely to recall vital driving information such as the speed limit on signs.

However, they did perform just as well as the non-Parkinson's participants in other tests.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and development at Parkinson's UK said: "While many people with Parkinson's stop driving because of difficulty with movement, the effect of cognitive problems on driving may be just as important when it comes to keeping people safe on the roads."

This comes after researchers from Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National Neuroscience Institute found that black tea could reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's.

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