Neuropsychological Assessment of Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, North Central Nigeria

The growing elderly population in Nigeria and the increasing recognition of age-related cognitive impairment as a clinical concern necessitate reliable neuropsychological assessment practices that are both psychometrically sound and culturally appropriate for Nigerian older adults. This study examines the neuropsychological assessment of cognitive impairment among older adults at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional clinical assessment design is applied to 120 adults aged 60 and above referred for memory and cognition concerns, selected through consecutive sampling from the neurology and geriatric outpatient clinics. A locally adapted neuropsychological battery including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Benson Figure Test, the Verbal Fluency Test, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test is administered. Concurrent validity against clinical diagnosis, normative data generation, and demographic effects are examined using ANOVA and regression. Available neuropsychology literature from Nigerian geriatric contexts identifies limited education-adjusted norms, inadequate bilingual assessment tools, and stroke-related vascular cognitive impairment as the dominant challenges in North Central older adult assessment. The Cognitive Reserve Theory and the Vascular Risk Framework for Cognitive Ageing provide the theoretical reference. Findings will establish preliminary normative data for Northern Nigerian older adults and guide clinical neuropsychology practice at UATH. Keywords: neuropsychological assessment, cognitive impairment, older adults, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, North Central Nigeria.