The Neural Basis Linking Achievement Motivation With Procrastination: Left Precuneus Connectivity With Right Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Neural basis responsible for effect of grit on procrastination: The interaction between the self-regulation and motivation neural pathways

Procrastination has a detrimental impact on academic performance, health, and subjective well-being. Previous studies indicated that grit was negatively related to procrastination. However, the underlying neural basis of this relationship remains unclear. To address this issue, we utilized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis to identify the neural substrates of how is grit linked to procrastination. Behavioral results showed that procrastination was negatively associated with grit. VBM analysis revealed that gray matter volume (GMV) in the left precuneus was positively associated with the consistency of interest (CI), a subcomponent of grit, while the right medial orbital frontal cortex (mOFC) was positively correlated with the perseverance of effort (PE), another subcomponent of grit. Moreover, the RSFC analysis indicated that both precuneus-medial superior frontal gyrus (mSFG) and precuneus-insula connectivity were positively related to CI, while the functional coupling of right mOFC with left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was positively related to PE. Importantly, the structural equation modeling (SEM) results were well suited for the influence of grit on procrastination via both self-regulation (mOFC-ACC) and motivation pathways (precuneus-mSFG, precuneus-insula). Together, these findings imply that self-regulation and motivation could be two neural circuits underlying the impact of grit on procrastination.

Neural Functioning in Late-Life Depression: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Late-life depression (LLD) is a relatively common and debilitating mental disorder, also associated with cognitive dysfunctions and an increased risk of mortality. Considering the growing elderly population worldwide, LLD is increasingly emerging as a significant public health issue, also due to the rise in direct and indirect costs borne by healthcare systems. Understanding the neuroanatomical and neurofunctional correlates of LLD is crucial for developing more targeted and effective interventions, both from a preventive and therapeutic standpoint. This ALE meta-analysis aims to evaluate the involvement of specific neurofunctional changes in the neurophysiopathology of LLD by analysing functional neuroimaging studies conducted on patients with LLD compared to healthy subjects (HCs). We included 19 studies conducted on 844 subjects, divided into 439 patients with LLD and 405 HCs. Patients with LLD, compared to HCs, showed significant hypoactivation of the right superior and medial frontal gyri (Brodmann areas (Bas) 8, 9), left cingulate cortex (BA 24), left putamen, and left caudate body. The same patients exhibited significant hyperactivation of the left superior temporal gyrus (BA 42), left inferior frontal gyrus (BA 45), right anterior cingulate cortex (BA 24), right cerebellar culmen, and left cerebellar declive. In summary, we found significant changes in activation patterns and brain functioning in areas encompassed in the cortico-limbic-striatal network in LLD. Furthermore, our results suggest a potential role for areas within the cortico-striatal-cerebellar network in the neurophysiopathology of LLD.

The triple psychological and neural bases underlying procrastination: Evidence based on a two-year longitudinal study

The triple brain anatomical network model of procrastination theorized procrastination as the result of psychological and neural dysfunction implicated in self-control, emotion regulation and episodic prospection. However, no studies have provided empirical evidence for such model. To address this issue, we designed a two-wave longitudinal study where participants underwent the resting-state scanning and completed the questionnaires at two time-points that spanned 2-year apart (T1, n = 457; T2, n = 457). Using the cross-lagged panel network modeling (CLPN), we found that triple psychological components at T1, including self-control, emotion regulation (i.e., reappraisal) and episodic prospection, negatively predicted procrastination at T2 in the temporal network. Moreover, the CLPN modeling found that functional connectivity between networks accounting for episodic prospection (EP) and emotion regulation (ER) positively predicted future procrastination in the temporal network. The centrality analyzes further showed that procrastination was greatly affected by other nodes, whilst the psychological component (i.e., episodic prospection), and the functional network connectivity (FNC) of EP- ER exerted strongest impacts on other nodes in the networks, which indicated that treatments targeting episodic prospection might largely help reduce procrastination. Collectively, these findings firstly provide evidence for testifying the triple brain anatomical network model of procrastination, and highlights the contribution of triple psychological and neural components implicated in self-control, emotion regulation and episodic prospection to procrastination that enhances our understanding of causes of procrastination.

The mediating effect of achievement motivation on mindfulness and procrastination behavior of nursing students: A correlational study

Procrastination behavior is prevalent among nursing students in China. However, little research has examined how mindfulness is associated with procrastination behavior, via achievement motivation among nursing students. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between procrastination behavior, mindfulness and achievement motivation, and explore the mediating effect of achievement motivation on mindfulness and procrastination behavior of nursing students. A correlational cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire. The study was conducted from January to March 2022 among 632 students from 1 university. A general information questionnaire, Achievement Motivation Scale, Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and General Procrastination Scale (GPS) were used for investigation. Calculations were performed using SPSS Statistics, version 25. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and process plug-in mediation effect analyses were used to analyze the data. A total of 640 questionnaires were issued and 632 valid questionnaires were finally recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 98.75%. The GPS score of 632 nursing undergraduates was (55.80 ± 6.57), achievement motivation scale score was (-2.49 ± 8.73), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire score was (118.21 ± 18.39). Achievement motivation and psychological capital were all negatively correlated with procrastination behavior (r = -0.291, -0.483; P < .01). Achievement motivation played a partial mediating role between mindfulness and procrastination behavior, and the mediating effect accounted for 59.82% of the total effect. The procrastination behavior of nursing undergraduates is at the middle level. Mindfulness can influence procrastination behavior through achievement motivation. Measures are needed to decrease the procrastination behavior by developing mindfulness programs to increase their achievement motivation.

Neural connectome features of procrastination: Current progress and future direction

Procrastination refers to an irrationally delay for intended courses of action despite of anticipating a negative consequence due to this delay. Previous studies tried to reveal the neural substrates of procrastination in terms of connectome-based biomarkers. Based on this, we proposed a unified triple brain network model for procrastination and pinpointed out what challenges we are facing in understanding neural mechanism of procrastination. Specifically, based on neuroanatomical features, the unified triple brain network model proposed that connectome-based underpinning of procrastination could be ascribed to the abnormalities of self-control network (i.e., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC), emotion-regulation network (i.e., orbital frontal cortex, OFC), and episodic prospection network (i.e., para-hippocampus cortex, PHC). Moreover, based on the brain functional features, procrastination had been attributed to disruptive neural circuits on FPN (frontoparietal network)-SCN (subcortical network) and FPN-SAN (salience network), which led us to hypothesize the crucial roles of interplay between these networks on procrastination in unified triple brain network model. Despite of these findings, poor interpretability and computational model limited further understanding for procrastination from theoretical and neural perspectives. On balance, the current study provided an overview to show current progress on the connectome-based biomarkers for procrastination, and proposed the integrative neurocognitive model of procrastination.