The NeuroRelational Framework conceptualized the four brain systems from the work of M. Marsel Mesalum, a behavioral neurologist at Northwestern University.

The NRF is detailed in an academic text called Infant/Child Mental Health, Early Intervention, and Relationship-based Therapies: A Neurorelational Framework For Interdisciplinary Practice by Connie Lillas and Janiece Turnbull. This text is included in the Daniel Siegel-founded Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology found here.