Up to 25% of a cell's atp is used to run sodium-potassium pumps. without the resulting sodium and potassium gradients, neurons and muscles cannot fire properly. the sodium-potassium pump catalyzes:

The answer is active transport. Most cells have a resting potential on the inside of the cells usually negatively charged compared to the outside. Neurons have a resting potential of - 70 mV. The sodium-potassium pump maintains this potential by pumping sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cell.