Helen Mirren calls for change in attitude towards Parkinson's

Actress Helen Mirren has spoken about the need to change the public's attitude towards Parkinson's disease, calling for more education about the condition.

Speaking to the Guardian, the Oscar-winner said a friend's experiences with Parkinson's had made her realise the difficulties people with the condition face in their everyday lives.

She also called for an end to the "postcode lottery" in NHS support for people with Parkinson's, saying sometimes a distance as little as 15 miles can mean the difference between having specialist care and not having it.

"The most important thing is to bring people with Parkinson's into our world and for the public to have a real understanding of it, as they're beginning to have with autism," Ms Mirren told the newspaper.

Her comments come soon after reports that a new brain imaging technique could help neuroscientists track the effects of the drug SYN115 in people with Parkinson's disease.

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