Aikaterini Fyka

Dr. Aikaterini Fyka


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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29 June 2026 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
AFAikaterini Fyka
Aikaterini Fyka
DADimitra Anastasopoulou
Dimitra Anastasopoulou
MLMARINA LEIVADARA
MARINA LEIVADARA
ARISTIDES ELIOPOULOSARISTIDES ELIOPOULOS
ARISTIDES ELIOPOULOS
KGKalliopi Gkouskou
Kalliopi Gkouskou
Depressive disorders and obesity are highly comorbid conditions sharing genetic, metabolic, and immunological substrates. In a cross-sectional analysis of 53 participants across the obesity spectrum (lean n = 12; overweight n = 9; obese n = 32), a depression genetic risk score (d-GRS) correlated positively with BMI (ρ = 0.379, p = 0.005) and with serum CRP (ρ = 0.322, p = 0.031), consistent with the known genetic coarchitecture between depression and inflammatory traits. The d-GRS was tested against 116 flow-cytometry-derived immune parameters using Spearman rank correlation. The most consistent immune association at nominal significance (p < 0.05, uncorrected) involved the immunoregulatory CD56brightCD16− natural killer (NK) cell subset across two independent gate representations (ρ = 0.444, p = 0.004), remaining significant after sequential adjustment for BMI, sex, age, and physical activity (adjusted ρ range: 0.439–0.469), with no equivalent association for a genetically independent obesity GRS. In silico analysis of d-GRS SNP-tagged genes identified several with documented roles in NK cell trafficking, activation, and cytokine production, providing a putative mechanistic basis for this association. These findings nominate the CD56brightCD16− NK cell subset as a candidate immunological link between depression genetic susceptibility and neuroimmune mechanisms, warranting independent replication and functional characterisation in prospective cohorts.