Shoppers pondering over whether to buy apples or oranges in the supermarket could be guided by a special group of nerve cells in the brain, according to a study by the Harvard Medical School in Boston.
The brain is able to categorise fruit according to its value, says Camillo Padoa-Schioppa, who lead the investigation.
Monkeys were given two fruit juices in different quantities, Nature magazine reported.
They were initially given the choice between one drop of grape juice and one drop of apple juice. This was an easy decision to make as monkeys prefer grape.
Two drops of apple juice and one drop of grape juice were available in the second experiment, with the moneys again choosing their favourite.
But with the choice between four drops of apple juice and one drop of grape juice, the monkeys always chose the larger portion.
The researchers noted that special nerve cells situated in the orbitofrontal cortex showed a stronger reaction when the monkey was confronted with an object of high value such as three drops of grape juice.
They concluded that the monkeys gave three or more drops of apple juice the same value as one drop of grape juice.
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