Editor’s Note to: Black American Maternal Prenatal Choline, Offspring Gestational Age at Birth, and Developmental Predisposition to Mental Illness

Western concepts of race and their use in the scientific literature are evolving. In this issue, we break with a longstanding precedent by publishing a Letter to the Editor written in response to a study by Hunter et al.,¹ reporting differences in choline plasma concentrations between Black American, Native American, and White American women. In their Letter,² Rosenfield et al., remind us of the implicit issues associated with race as a biological entity rather than a social construct. In the response, Hunter explains how these issues were addressed in their paper.

In acknowledging the need for further action, we are devising and will shortly implement a policy on the use of race as a study variable. Guidance for new submissions will be published in a forthcoming issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin.