Background: Neurocognitive disorders affect how the brain uses oxygen. They may affect mental development in children. These disorders can be studied with imaging scans that use radiation; however, these methods are not ideal for research on children. Two technologies-functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS)-use light to detect changes in brain activity. These m...

Background: Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS) is a genetic disorder. It can cause birth defects and developmental delays. There is no cure for SLOS or other inherited diseases related to cholesterol production or storage. The data gained in this study may help researchers find ways to measure how well future treatments work.

Summary: Patients with biochemically confirmed SLOS are being treated with cholesterol supplementation and antioxidant medication. They are carefully monitored with visits to clinic, laboratory testing including cholesterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol levels, vitamin levels, blood counts and liver and kidney function. On a serial basis, no more often than once a year, the patients undergo a series of tests un...