a test designed to reveal whether the semicircular canals of the inner ear are functioning properly. The patient is rotated in a special chair—the Bárány chair—with his or her head in each of the planes that bring the three canals vertical to the direction of rotation. The resulting nystagmus (involuntary movements of the eyes) indicates whether the canals are functioning properly. Also called Bárány method. [Robert Bárány (1876–1936), Austrian physician]