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Enhanced preference for delayed rewards requires the basolateral amygdala and retrosplenial cortex

‘Sunk’ or irrecoverable costs impact reward-based decisions across species. However, it is not known if these incurred costs elicit a sustained change in reward value. To address this, we examined if sunk temporal costs subsequently alter reward consumption and reward preference in rats. We first identified the relative preference between different flavored food pellets during a free-feeding consumption test. Animals were then trained to experience the initial less preferred reward after long delays and the initial preferred reward after short delays. This training regimen enhanced the consumption and preference for the initial less desirable food reward. We probed whether this change in reward preference involved neural systems that contribute to reward valuation. Pharmacological manipulations and site-specific lesions were performed to examine the potential involvement of the dopamine system, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the basolateral amygdala (BLA), and the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). The change in reward preference was unaffected by systemic dopamine receptor antagonism or OFC lesions. In contrast, lesions of the BLA or the RSC prevented the enhanced consumption and preference for the initial less desirable reward. These findings demonstrate that both the BLA and RSC participate in how sunk temporal costs alter reward value and reward preference.