The laminar distributions of 16 neurotransmitter receptor binding sites were analysed in visual cortical areas V1-V3 by quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography. For each receptor (glutamatergic: AMPA, kainate, NMDA; cholinergic: M1, M2, M3, nicotinic; GABAergic: GABAA, GABAB, benzodiazepine binding-sites; adrenergic: alpha1, alpha2; serotoninergic: 5-HT1A, 5-HT2; dopaminergic: D1; Adenosine: A1), density profiles extracted perpendicular to the cortical surface were compared to cyto- and myeloarchitectonic profiles sampled at corresponding cortical sites. When testing for differences in laminar distribution patterns, all receptor-density profiles differed significantly from the cyto- and myeloarchitectonic ones. These results indicate that receptor distribution is an independent feature of the cortical architecture not predictable by densities of cell bodies or myelinated fibres. Receptor co-distribution was studied by cluster analyses, revealing several groups of receptors, which showed similar laminar distribution patterns across all analysed areas (V1-V3). Other receptors were co-distributed in extrastriate but not primary visual cortex. Finally, some receptors were not co-distributed with any of the analysed other ones. A comparison of the laminar patterns of receptor binding sites in the human visual cortex with those reported for non-human primates and other mammals showed that the laminar distributions of cholinergic and glutamatergic receptors seem largely preserved, while serotoninergic and adrenergic receptors appear to be more variable between different species.