Alzheimer

Research Lab

Senior Research Technician

UCLA Dept Medicine

Mychica R. Simmons is an alumni graduate of California State University Northridge, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biomedical Physics. She have been working for Sally A. Frautschy Alzheimer’s Research Lab since her undergraduate studies. Mychica’s job started with analyzing different regions and subregions of rat and mice brain tissues using a Scion Image Program combined with Microsoft Excel. By performing this task, she was able to observe the effects of ibuprofen and curcumin in reducing the number of plaques in Alzheimer rat and mice models.

            In addition to analyzing coronal sections of rat brain tissues. Mychica begin to advance her knowledge of Alzheimer Disease by performing histology work for Frautschy’s Lab. Mychica performed the 8mm sectioning procedure on each rodent brain. After sectioning from posterior to anterior, she is then able to perform different assays using fluorescence, as well as monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that may improve the memory loss resulting from Alzheimer’s Disease. She has published in J. BioChem 2005 Feb 18 280(7):5892-901. and Neuro Chem Int. 2001 Nov-Dec. 39(5-6):435-48.

Yang F, Lim GP, Begum AN, Ubeda OJ, Simmons MR, Ambegaokar SS, Chen PP, Kayed R, Glabe CG, Frautschy SA, Cole GM.  Curcumin inhibits formation of amyloid beta oligomers and fibrils, binds plaques, and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2005 Feb 18;280(7):5892-901. Epub 2004 Dec 7. PMID: 15590663 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Harris-White ME, Chu T, Miller SA, Simmons M, Teter B, Nash D, Cole GM, Frautschy SA.           Estrogen (E2) and glucocorticoid (Gc) effects on microglia and A beta clearance in vitro and in vivo. Neurochem Int. 2001 Nov-Dec;39(5-6):435-48. PMID: 11578779 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

S.A. Frautschy, M.E. Harris-White, W. Hu, S.A. Miller, M. Simmons, D. Nash, P. Kim, P.-P. Chen, Z. Balverde, T. Chu,  G.M. Cole.  inhibition of oxidation and inflammation to prevent Aß induced Alzheimer Pathology and Cognitive Deficits. Nov 15, 2001. Society for Neuroscience 27:2001.

S.A. Frautschy, M. Simmons, A.N. Begum, S. Hu, R. Kayed, C.E. Finch, G.M. Cole, T.E. Morgan, M.E. Harris-White.Different amyloid oligomer species impact different neurodegenerative pathways.   Society for Neuroscience 30:2004

S.A. Frautschy; A.N. Begum; G.P. Lim; M.R. Simmons; W. Beech; R. Kayed; S.C. Milton; C. Glabe; G.M. Cole Curcumin and its metabolite block A (1-42) oligomer induced neuronal toxicity and apoptosis via inhibition of p-JNK activation. Society for Neuroscience 31:2005

S. Hu; L. Zhao; M. Oh; M. Johnson; M. Simmons; P. Kim; M.E. Harris-White; K.Hsiao-Ashe; G.M. Cole; S.A. Frautschy Ibuprofen, a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug(NSAID), suppressed amyloid (A ) and glutamate induced sustained MAPK and tau phosphorylation. Society for Neuroscience 31:2005