Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for learning or determining delays between neuron models so that the uncertainty in input spike timing is accounted for in the margin of time between a delayed pre-synaptic input spike and a post-synaptic spike. In this manner, a neural network can correctly match patterns (even in the presence of significant jitter) and correctly distinguish between different noisy patterns. One example method generally includes determining an uncertainty associated with a first pre-synaptic spike time of a first neuron model for a pattern to be learned; and determining a delay based on the uncertainty, such that the delay added to a second pre-synaptic spike time of the first neuron model results in a causal margin of time between the delayed second pre-synaptic spike time and a post-synaptic spike time of a second neuron model.