When Robin Buttery gets tired, or cold, or wet the shaking produced by the Parkinson's disease he suffers gets worse. So one has to wonder why he is about to undertake a 10-week test of endurance that will make him tired, cold and wet, most of the time.

The answer lies in the work of scientists at Oxford Brookes University who will closely monitor the response of Mr Buttery’s body as he rows 3,600 nautical miles across the Indian Ocean.

Their observations could lead to a significant breakthrough in the way Parkinson’s is assessed and treated.

It is that thought that will keep Mr Buttery motivated as he sets off from the coast of Western Australia in June with three other rowers, in an attempt to beat the current world speed for the crossing to Mauritius, which stands at 71 days. “I don’t tend to wobble about that much normally,” said the 45-year-old father of one, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago.

“But humidity, strenuous exercise and fear can all bring it on - in fact exactly the sort of situation I will find myself in. “It will allow researchers to examine how my body reacts when things get ugly.”