Large Reaching Datasets Quantify the Impact of Age, Sex/Gender, and Experience on Motor Control

As we age, our movements become slower and less precise—but the extent of this decline remains unclear. To address this, we harmonized data from 2,185 participants across four published studies using a standard center-out reaching task. We found that older age was associated with a steady decline in reaction time (– 1.2 ms/year), movement time (–2.3 ms/year), and movement precision (–0.02º/year). Although the rate of decline did not differ by sex/gender, females consistently reacted more slowly (–8 ms), moved more slowly (–37 ms), and exhibited greater precision (+0.5º) across the adult lifespan. Notably, sex/gender differences attenuated after accounting for experiential factors such as video game use and the amount of sleep per day, whereas age remained a robust and consistent predictor of motor decline. Together, these findings provide a large-scale quantification of age, sex/gender, and experiential effects on motor control, offering a normative benchmark to inform future clinical interventions aimed at preserving motor function across the lifespan.