Impaired inhibition is a core feature in adults with ADHD. In addition, slow RTs and high intra-individual variance in performance may reflect deficits in the regulation of activation and effort in ADHD patients. ADHD and BPD share some symptoms of behavioural dysregulation without common cognitive deficits, at least in the attentional realm.

The present study tested the hypothesis that chronic cannabis use leads to persistent attentional dysfunctions and that age of onset of cannabis use is a potential predictor of impaired test performance and information processing. Brain event-related potentials (ERPs) during a complex auditory selective attention task were recorded from 21 cannabis users divided into two groups according to age of onset and from 13 controls comparable with respect to age, IQ and educational background. Participants were instructed to detect target tones of a particular location, pitch and duration from a total sample of random frequencies. The study reveals that the latency of the greatest negative peak of ERPs (200 and 300 ms) to target tones was shorter in controls, while there was no clear difference between target and non-target within cannabis users. In addition, users displayed a reduced P₃ to target tones. This was more pronounced in early-onset cannabis users. These data suggest that chronic cannabis use relates to different types of information processing under conditions of selective attention. There is some evidence that users employed different strategies of attention allocation. The results are discussed with respect to possible underlying mechanisms and clinical implications.

Hoarseness can be the leading symptom of dysphonia. In combination with impaired vocal performance and subjective voice-related discomfort, it can represent an individually different handicap for patients and lead to limited participation in social and professional life. Since the reasons for dysphonia may be not only functional but also organic with a potentially poor prognosis, hoarseness must be clarified using differential diagnosis. In addition to the knowledge of possible diseases, pathogenesis, and treatment options for dysphonia, the differential diagnostic approach requires profound knowledge of the various diagnostic methods, and of the interpretation of the results in particular. The etiology of dysphonia is very diverse and rarely monocausal. Therefore, a team-based and interdisciplinary differential diagnostic approach is recommended.