Age-related decreases in difficulty modulation in the positive modulation network (i.e., right fronto-parietal cortices) were not evident until between middle and older age (Panel A). Age-related differences in the negative modulation network (i.e., ventromedial prefrontal, precuneus/posterior cingulate, left angular and middle frontal gyri) occurred earlier in the lifespan, between younger and middle-age (Panel B). Error bars indicate standard error of the mean.