We parceled the posterior thalami of nine normal human brains according to cytoarchitectonic criteria, measured relevant nuclear volumes, and sought left-right asymmetries. We found that thalamic zones with multiple projections to the cerebral cortex, using the centromedian-parafascicular nucleus as a prototype, were mostly symmetric. This group includes the medial, lateral, and inferior pulvinar nuclei. Thalamic zones that project discretely to a few, clearly defined cortical receptor fields (using the medial geniculate nucleus [MG] as a prototype) closely reflected the asymmetry of the cortical fields to which they project. Hence, the MG showed a slight right-sided bias, and the lateralis posterior nucleus (related to the grossly asymmetric inferior parietal lobule) showed a significant leftsided bias in eight of the nine brains measured. This asymmetry may partially explain the apparent language specialization of the dominant thalamus.