The disclosure provides use of an agent inhibiting burst in lateral habenula in manufacturing a medicament for treating depression, wherein said reagent inhibiting burst in lateral habenula is a N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor inhibitor and/or a T-type calcium channel inhibitor. The present disclosure also provides a pharmaceutical composition for treating depression, which comprises an agent inhibiting burst in lateral habenula. The present disclosure also provides a method for screening potential substances for treating depression, comprising the step of administering a test substance to be screened to an animal model of depression, wherein the animal model of depression has abnormal burst firings in lateral habenula.
