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The first injury
For the first couple of months, Amol Avasare's wife did everything for him, even texting his friends. Listening to music for twenty seconds made him feel like vomiting, and he couldn't look at screens at all. It took roughly half a year before walking felt comfortable, and for a while it wasn't clear he would ever work again. The two of them talked through what they would do if he couldn't.
The second hit
In mid-2023, a month after he published a newsletter post about the injury, a bag hit him on the head as he got off a plane. Until someone is fully healed, even at 95 percent, the risk of another concussion stays elevated, and it falls to normal only at 100 percent. The second injury came one month into a new job at Mercury, and he was off for two more months.
Life afterward
He is still not fully healed and gets dizziness and headaches he has to work around, and he counts the injury among the best things that have happened to him. He doesn't drink alcohol or caffeine, and he takes a short break between the start of the day and lunch and another between lunch and the end of the day, even on model launch days. A meditation area in the office helps, and he goes on a meditation retreat at least once a year.
How can a single blow injure the brain?
The brain floats in cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull, and a sudden impact or twist makes it move and rotate slightly out of step with the bone. That motion stretches and shears nerve fibers, especially in the long axons that connect brain regions. The result is a disruption of function rather than a visible wound. Standard CT and MRI scans often look normal after a concussion.
Why does a second concussion carry extra risk?
After a concussion, brain cells go through a metabolic upheaval. Neurons release large amounts of potassium and the chemical glutamate, and they need more energy at the same time that blood flow to the injured area drops. Christopher Giza and David Hovda described this neurometabolic cascade in a 2001 paper in the Journal of Athletic Training. During the window while the cascade plays out, the brain is more vulnerable to a further injury.
Why do screens and sound bother injured brains?
Sensory processing depends on large networks that a concussion can disrupt. Vision is affected in a large share of cases, including trouble coordinating the two eyes to focus up close, a problem known as convergence insufficiency. Screens demand sustained focus, tracking, and filtering of bright, moving input. Researchers who study concussion recovery also report that sound and light sensitivity are among the most common symptoms.
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