Recent neuroscience studies are uncovering mechanisms underlying motor control and brain aging. Harvard researchers demonstrated that basal ganglia in rats use distinct neural codes for innate versus learned movements, advancing understanding of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Separately, a collaborative team revealed that the cerebral cortex ages in a layered, region-specific manner more slowly than previously believed. These insights deepen our grasp of brain plasticity and may inform therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases and motor impairments.