Which drug is in the Centrally-Acting Skeletal Muscle Relaxants category?

• A. Baclofen
• B. Dantrolene
• C. Chlorzoxazone
• D. Cyclobenzaprine

Answer: (A)

Centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxants work by dampening activity in the central nervous system to reduce muscle tone and spasticity. Baclofen fits this category because it acts as a GABA-B receptor agonist in the spinal cord, which decreases the excitability of motor neurons and lowers reflexive muscle contraction. This spinally mediated, CNS-based mechanism is what defines its central action.

Dantrolene, in contrast, works directly on skeletal muscle by inhibiting calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, so it’s considered a direct-acting muscle relaxant rather than a central one. The other options may also have central effects, but baclofen is the classic example highlighted for centrally acting muscle relaxation due to its spinal cord–focused mechanism.