INTRODUCTION: Decision-making between rewards is shaped by both reward value and associated sensory cues. Understanding how seeking and consumption are balanced can shed light on mechanisms underlying motivation, reward preference, and addiction-related behaviors.

AIM(S): To investigate how cue-associated rewards (sucrose, quinine, methamphetamine) influence motivational (nosepoke) versus consummatory (licking) behavior and to examine preference shifts and relapse patterns in a group-housed, automated behavioral paradigm.

METHOD(S): Animals were housed in IntelliCage, which continuously recorded corner visits, nosepokes, and licking. After habituation and baseline preference assessment, reward phases included sucrose, quinine, and meth, each paired with LED cue in defined time windows and separated by water-only washout periods. Preference, nosepoke-to-lick ratios, and relapse behaviors were tracked throughout.

RESULTS: Sucrose access produced low nosepoke-to-lick ratios, reflecting efficient action–consumption coupling. Meth and quinine elicited high ratios, indicating increased seeking but reduced consumption. Corner preference patterns also suggested hierarchy-related access differences.

CONCLUSIONS: Reward type and cue association strongly modulate the balance between seeking and consumption. Natural rewards favor consumption-driven responding, whereas drug and aversive stimuli bias toward seeking. The automated IntelliCage paradigm effectively dissociates motivational and consummatory behavior and provides a platform for studying reward choice, behavioral flexibility, and addiction-related neural plasticity.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: National Science Center, Poland. Grant Number: Sonata Bis 2023/50/E/NZ4/00421