Tempering an interpretation based on quality of data to make causal conclusions about race, inequities, and brain differences

Abstract

In volume 28 of this journal, Harnett et al. [1] reported their effort to understand how structural inequities partially explain differences between racial groups on neurophysiology and brain connectivity [1]. The authors’ interpretation was that inequities are a form of chronic stress of structural racism which acts on human development to cause enduring brain differences. Given the strong interest in unequal treatment of races and government’s history of intervening with a strong hand when justified by science, I believe this paper merits additional comment on how the findings were interpreted.