What is a clinical trial?
Who can participate in a clinical trial?
How does a clinical trial work?
What questions should be asked before choosing to participate?
What is informed consent?
What are the benefits and risks of participating in a trial?
What are some of the major central nervous system disorders studied in clinical trials?

There are guidelines that determine who can participate. First, a volunteer must qualify for the study. Criteria permitting volunteers to participate in a clinical trial are called “inclusion criteria.” Factors that disallow volunteers from participating are called “exclusion criteria.” Age, gender, the type and stage of a disease, previous treatment history, and other medical conditions are examples of such criteria.

Second, some clinical trials seek participants with specific illnesses or conditions to be studied. Others require healthy participants. It is important to note that inclusion and exclusion criteria are used to identify appropriate participants, promote participant safety, and ensure that researchers learn the information they need.