Neural correlates of motor skill learning are dependent on both age and task difficulty

Although a general age-related decline in neural plasticity is evident, the effects of age on neural plasticity after a period of motor practice are inconclusive. Inconsistencies in the literature may be related to differences in task difficulty between studies. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to determine the effects of age and task difficulty on motor learning and associated task-related brain activity. We used task-related electroencephalography (EEG) power in the alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) frequency bands to assess neural plasticity before, immediately after, and 24-h after practice of a mirror star tracing task at one of three difficulty levels in healthy younger (N=36, 19-24 yr) and older (N=36, 65-86 yr) adults. This repository contains the two main data-sets used for analysis: * Behavioral_Learning --> The behavioral outcomes of the mirror star tracing task (Movement Time, Bandwidth error and mean distance to the middle line) * EEG_Learning --> The EEG outcomes: Task-related Power (%) in the alpha and beta frequency bands for different Regions of Interest (frontal, motor, and parietal cortices