Jay Leno brought his wife, Mavis, with him to his weekly comedy gig this weekend -- this after revealing in court documents she suffers from dementia ... and it's a brave move.

The couple went out to enjoy Jay's Sunday evening show at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA ... putting on a united front after Jay took the first step in becoming conservator of his wife's estate just last Friday.

They certainly weren't hiding away from cameras here -- Jay and Mavis held hands as they slowly made their way into the venue ... and on their way out, Mavis was chatting with some friends. The message they seem to be telegraphing ... we're carrying on like normal.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay filed docs Friday to become conservator of Mavis' estate, claiming she may not have the wherewithal to take care of herself because she suffers from dementia. Our sources say Mavis has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

There's no indication Jay and Mavis are at odds over a potential conservatorship ... they've been happily married for going on 44 years, and Sunday's outing is further proof their bond remains strong.

It's interesting that Jay felt comfortable enough to bring Mavis out so publicly in the wake of that -- like we said, it speaks to a number of things ... including breaking down stigmas about Alzheimer's and dementia. That's one way to interpret this anyway.

In any case, ya gotta figure that a little bit of laughter never hurts the situation ... and Jay can provide plenty of those and then some.

Good to see them standing strong amid some personal adversity.