Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a brain abnormality that he said doctors attributed to a parasite in his head, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Citing a 12-year-old deposition,

Kennedy Jr. claimed numerous health problems, including that a parasite possibly ate part of his brain, during a deposition made during a contentious divorce from his second wife about a decade ago, according to the New York Times.

US presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr says he is in "robust health" following reports that he suffered from a brain parasite more than a decade ago. The New York Times reported that Mr Kennedy also previously suffered from mercury poisoning and heart problems.

Kennedy’s campaign spokeswoman said he contracted a parasite years ago while traveling “extensively in Africa, South America and Asia in his work as an environmental advocate.”