This Is Your Brain On A Concussion. Research is beginning to shed more light on the cognitive and physiological effects of concussions, a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a blow to the head or other event that causes the brain to shake inside the skull. Normally, the brain is protected by the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds it, as well as the skull, which acts like armor. But in extreme impact, the brain can crash into the skull, causing bruising, bleeding and/or swelling.