Dataset for the paper “Shared Neurogenetic Substrates of Non-planning Impulsivity and Procrastination”

Procrastination has maladaptive impact on health and survival, yet it remains moderately heritable, presenting a biological paradox. Procrastination has been conceptualized as a byproduct of impulsivity, explaining its prevalence despite no discernible adaptive benefit. However, the shared neurobiological substrates underlying the association between impulsivity and procrastination have yet to be elucidated. Using a longitudinal twin cohort (N = 154), we show that non-planning impulsivity (NPI) during late adolescence and early adulthood uniquely predicts procrastination in later life. This effect was independently replicated in two cross-sectional cohorts (N = 327; N = 1,543). AE twin modeling and meta-analysis (N = 3,656 twin pairs) revealed significant shared genetic contributions (rg = 0.51). Beyond genetic overlap, neuroimaging meta-analysis (NeuroSynth meta‑analysis for impulsivity: k = 198 studies, 5855 loci; mini meta-analysis for procrastination: k = 5 studies, 7 independent samples, Ncumulative = 893 participants), normative modeling (N = 37,407), and seed-based mapping converged on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as the region of maximal overlap between NPI and procrastination. The transcriptional profiles of the left DLPFC and impulsivity-associated genes exhibited functional convergence on regulation of biological and cellular processes. These genes showed brain-specific expression and associations with cortical metabolism, neurodegenerative disease, and developmental expression peaks, indicating a shared molecular basis for the neurogenetic architecture of procrastination. Together, our findings delineate a cross-scale characterization of the shared neurogenetic substrates linking NPI and procrastination, offering empirical evidence that elucidates the biological origins of procrastination.This dataset includes the de-identified summary data and analysis scripts for the paper “Shared Neurogenetic Substrates of Non-planning Impulsivity and Procrastination” compiled in the order in which the results are presented.