FAQs

Clinical studies are research studies in which people participate as paid volunteers. These studies are a means of improving our understanding of disease or developing new treatments and medications for diseases and conditions, such as depression. There are strict rules for clinical trials, which are monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The health of millions has been improved because of advances in science and technology, and the willingness of thousands of individuals like you to take part in clinical research. Finding new and improved medicines are only possible through clinical research studies. Every clinical study participant provides valuable information that might help improve medical research and knowledge to improve the mental health of future generations. Without people like you, clinical research and medical advancements in mental health treatment would not be possible.

Our studies are highly tech-enabled and many are fully decentralized, which means they can be conducted from the comfort and privacy of your home. Our studies are 8-10 weeks long and include a no-cost investigational medication, compensation for your time/involvement and dedicated support throughout the study’s duration. Additionally, our research team is focused solely on mental health, specializing in depression and PTSD research.

Our studies typically involve the use of non-invasive tests including an EEG to monitor brain activity, as well as a Fitbit wearable to monitor sleep and activity. If you are eligible for at-home study participation, we will mail everything you need to your door. If you are going in-clinic to participate, your dedicated research team will provide you with the necessary supplies.

We have 35 physical site locations across the U.S., but participation in most of our clinical studies can be fully remote, conducted from the comfort of your home.

No. You can participate in each of our studies from the comfort of home, so long as you’re able to go to a local laboratory for a basic blood draw. We’ll ship all necessary supplies to your door and conduct study visits via our secure telehealth portal.

Our intake survey is HIPAA compliant and all PHI (personal health information) is captured in accordance with our stringent privacy policy. The information requested by the form is necessary to ensure our clinical care team can determine your eligibility, and your physical address is only used for compensation purposes if you enroll in a study.

The expected duration of the initial eligibility intake survey is approximately 10-15 minutes. If our clinical team determines you’re eligible for study participation, remote or in-person visits take approximately 1 hour but may extend up to 2.5 hours for further in-depth assessments, during which you will be compensated for your time and involvement.

If you are determined eligible for participation, our typical study duration is 8-10 weeks, but may extend up to 12 weeks including time for the consent and enrollment process. Throughout the entire process, you will receive dedicated support from the study team.

Remote or in-person visits are typically 1 hour but may extend up to 2.5 hours for further in-depth assessments, during which you will be compensated for your time and involvement.

Yes. We value your time and each of our studies includes compensation for your involvement. The level of compensation depends on the study specifics, but if above $600, we’ll send a “Form 1099-Other Income” to you at the end of the year in conjunction with reporting to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

No. We do not require or take insurance information and there are no out-of-pocket fees involved in study participation.

We partnered with Alto Neuroscience, with the goal of doing away with trial-and-error in mental healthcare. Our research is focused on studying important brain biomarkers, identifying likely responders to medications and informing new treatments for mental health conditions.

Each of our investigational medications have been through Phase I studies and are now being studied in Phase II clinical studies.

Phase 1 studies are used to learn the safety and tolerability of a medication, or the “maximum tolerated dose” of a drug that does not produce unacceptable side effects. Participant volunteers are followed primarily for side effects, and not for how the drug affects their disease.

Phase 2 studies involve a drug whose dose and side effects are well known. Many more volunteer subjects are tested, to define side effects, learn how it is used in the body, and learn how it helps the condition under study. Some volunteer subjects may benefit from a phase 2 study.

Phase 3 studies compare the efficacy of the new drug against a placebo or commonly used drug. Some volunteer subjects will be given the new drug and some the placebo. The trial is designed to confirm efficacy and how it fits within the treatment paradigm for managing a particular conditions, such as depression.

Our HIPAA compliant platform can be a bit finicky so you’re not alone in having difficulty with moving past the signature submission page! We recommend completing the form on a desktop or laptop computer, if possible.

Alternatively, to sign on a phone, please ensure you: 1. Check the consent box, 2. Toggle over ‘Add Signature’ to the right and click on it, 3. Sign/scribble with your finger in the pop-up box, 4. Be sure to click ‘Save and Exit’ once complete

If you attempt to submit the survey more than once or change your answers after your first submission, our database is likely to produce an error message. If this is your first time submitting and believe this message was shown in actual error, please email clinical@altoneuroscience.com with your name, email address used for submission and zip code so a member of the clinical team may check on the status of your submission.

If it’s been 48 hours and you haven’t had contact from our clinical team, please check your spam folder of the email address used in your submission. It’s likely you received a message there regarding your eligibility. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out at clinical@altoneuroscience.com.