More than 15% of adults suffer from pathological procrastination, which leads to substantial harm to their mental and psychiatric health. Our previous work demonstrated the role of three neuroanatomical networks as neural substrates of procrastination, but their potential interaction remains unknown. Three large‐scale independent samples (total n = 901) were recruited. In sample A, tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) and connectome‐based graph‐theoretical analysis was conducted to probe association between topological properties of white matter (WM) network and procrastination. In sample B, the above analysis was reproduced to demonstrate replicability. In sample C, machine learning models were built to predict individual procrastination. TBSS results showed a negative association between procrastination and WM integrity of limbic‐prefrontal connection, and a positive relationship between intra‐connection within the limbic system and procrastination. Also, both the efficiency and integrity of limbic WM network were found to be linked to procrastination. The above findings were all confirmed to replicate in an independent sample; prediction models demonstrated that these WM features can predict procrastination accurately in sample C. In conclusion, this study moves forward our understanding of procrastination by clarifying the role of interplay of self‐control and emotional regulation with it.

中文翻译：

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白质微结构和网络中拖延的神经标志物

超过 15% 的成年人患有病理性拖延症，这对他们的心理和精神健康造成了重大伤害。我们之前的工作证明了三个神经解剖网络作为拖延的神经基质的作用，但它们潜在的相互作用仍然未知。三个大规模独立样本（共n = 901) 被招募。在样本 A 中，进行了基于区域的空间统计 (TBSS) 和基于连接组的图论分析，以探索白质 (WM) 网络的拓扑特性与拖延之间的关联。在样品 B 中，重复上述分析以证明可复制性。在样本 C 中，建立了机器学习模型来预测个人拖延。TBSS结果显示，拖延与边缘-前额叶连接的WM完整性呈负相关，边缘系统内部连接与拖延呈正相关。此外，发现边缘 WM 网络的效率和完整性都与拖延有关。上述发现均被证实在独立样本中重复；