Oscar winning actress Dame Helen Mirren has voiced her approval of a new study, which will study the benefits of using Nintendo's Wii for treating patients with Parkinson's disease.

The actress, who has featured in a string of Nintendo advertisements, said that she was happy that the Parkinson's UK research group had decided to donate £35,000 to a study being conducted by Dr Cathy Craig at the School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast. Dr Craig is currently researching the effects of Nintendo's Wii games console on people suffering from Parkinson's disease.

“If the project is successful the benefits could be twofold. It could allow us to develop a simple way to assess Parkinson's symptoms yet provide a safe and effective way for people with the condition to be more active and keep fit,” said Dr Craig.

According to the Guardian, the research will study the effects of Wii on the lifestyle of people suffering with the dreaded disease and examine out if their symptoms, like tremors, slowness of movement and balance, are affected by certain Wii games.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/dec/01/helen-mirren-parkinsons-disease-change-attitudes