Presidential candidate Kennedy Jr had brain abnormality in 2012

A New York Times report says that Kennedy Jr told them that the doctors had attributed it to a parasite in his head.

Independent US presidential candidate Robert F Kenndey 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, the Times said Kennedy stated that a doctor had told him an abnormality on his brain scan "was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died."

The 2012 deposition came during divorce proceedings from his second wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, the Times reported, as he argued his earning power had been diminished by his cognitive struggles.

Mary Richardson Kennedy died by suicide in 2012, as she and Kennedy were battling over custody of their four children.

Kennedy, who is challenging Republican former President Donald Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden for the White House in November, could pick up 8 per cent of voters nationwide, a Reuters/Ipsos poll in March showed.

A Kennedy spokeswoman told the Times that any suggestion his health could be an issue during the campaign was a "hilarious suggestion, given the competition.