synaptic delay

The time (typically 0.3-0.5 ms) required for a neurotransmitter to be released from a presynaptic membrane, diffuse across the synaptic cleft, and bind to a receptor site on the post-synaptic membrane. Synaptic delay is a rate-limiting factor in the transmission of a nerve impulse from one neurone to the next or to an effector cell, and is a component of reaction time.